


Clandestine

by drakesandmarvel



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Adorable Baby Yoda (The Mandalorian TV), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Relationship, Eventual Smut, F/M, Female Character of Color, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gambling, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Light Angst, Major Original Character(s), Masturbation, Mental Health Issues, Mutual Pining, Original Character(s), Relationship(s), Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, lots of swearing, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:20:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 44,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27742888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drakesandmarvel/pseuds/drakesandmarvel
Summary: When Din finds a stowaway in his ship, he wonders what he'll do with her. She wonders what'll happen to her. And what kind of adventures she just signed for.Takes place right after Chapter 12 (The Siege). Very obviously canon divergent.
Relationships: Baby Yoda (The Mandalorian TV) & Original Character(s), Baby Yoda (The Mandalorian TV)/Din Djarin, Din Djarin/Original Character(s), Din Djarin/Original Female Character(s), Din Djarin/Reader
Comments: 27
Kudos: 89





	1. Chapter One: the Mechanic

**Author's Note:**

> Heya, it's my first fic in like 3 years, so please don't hesitate to give feedback!  
> It starts off slow cause I never know how to begin stuff, but I'll try to make the next chapters more compelling and interesting and shit. Also I marked this as Din x Reader cause, although I have a specific OC in mind when writing her, you can very well replace her with yourself or a character of your choice!  
> English is not my first language so if you see any mistakes that's why! I used Grammarly tho so it should be fine.  
> Hope you enjoy!

The Mandalorian is sitting in the pilot’s seat, touching buttons left and right and calibrating a destination in the navigation panel. In the seat behind him is the Child, faint blue stains still decorating the front of his cloak and a half-eaten macaroon of the same color in his right hand. They left Nevarro a few minutes ago and are now headed for Corvus, a forest planet where they hope to find someone who knows where the Child comes from. The Mandalorian also hopes to get some kind of explanation regarding the kid’s strange mind powers that saved him and his friends on many occasions but also proved to be dangerous when the little one felt like he or the people around were threatened. The Mandalorian did not exactly know how long it would take to reach their destination, but he estimated - or prayed, rather - that it wouldn’t take longer than 3 days using hyperdrive. Not because he wanted to be done with the Child and go back to his life as a lone bounty hunter, but just because he wanted answers. It had been months since he decided to keep the Child with him, and he still did not know more about the baby. First off, how was it still a baby if he supposedly was 50 years old? What was the power he was using? How did he become separated from his people? How did what remained of the Empire know about him? And what exactly did they want to do to him?

Now, thanks to the Imperial Lab he and his allies raided on Nevarro, he knew it had something to do with the Child’s blood, a host, and something called _m-count_. Although he was busy shooting at Tie Fighters and saving his friends from being blown up, he had to admit he hadn’t stopped thinking about the holographic message they saw in the lab. What were the Empire’s plans and what role exactly did the Child have to play in it? Din was worried. And with the news that Moff Gideon was still alive, he was almost anxious, feeling like he and his army of stormtroopers could attack the Crest at any minute. He kept his gaze focused on the space in front of him, attentive to every single moving object that came into his field of vision, all the while finishing to calibrate the coordinates. After a few minutes, everything was set and the Crest made the jump to hyperspace. The Child had fallen asleep in his seat, still holding a piece of macaroon in his hand. The Mandalorian looked lovingly at his adopted son and undid his cape to cover the little one with it. He then turned his gaze back to the blue tunnel in front of him, choosing to stay awake just in case something went wrong.

The Mandalorian doesn’t know exactly when he fell asleep, but _somehow_ , he did. In his seat. He knew that because he was startled awake by a loud sound in the hull. Like the sound of something falling to the floor, or maybe someone. When he regained some consciousness as to what was happening, the Mandalorian immediately turned his head to look at the Child behind him. He let out a sigh of relief when he found the baby was still sleeping soundly in his seat, little snores escaping his body. So if it wasn’t the kid who made the noise...what was it? Din got up from his seat, grabbed his blaster, and slowly made his way down from the cockpit to the hull. Once he was down the ladder, he carefully looked around the ship, attentive to any sound or object that had moved. Then he saw it. Near the sleeping pod, there was a single shoe, untied and just...sitting there. He got closer to it, crouched, and inspected it. It was a worn-out brown boot, way too small to be one of his. The Mandalorian immediately frowned and lifted his head towards the only place where a clandestine passenger could be hiding. Getting up, he put his blaster in an aiming position and quickly pressed the button that opened the sleeping pod. When the door opened, Din was surprised to see a 30-something-year-old woman seated in his bed, her hands up in the air and a very worried look on her face.

“Please don’t shoot me!” She pleaded, wincing as if she was expecting to be shot right after that sentence.

The Mandalorian tilted his head and frowned, utterly confused. She didn’t look dangerous, or armed, or else she probably would’ve attacked by now. Although she looked harmless and lost, Din was far from happy about having a stowaway aboard the Crest. That meant he let his guard down, that he wasn’t careful enough, and he mentally scolds himself. That could’ve been an assassin, and had it been the case, the Child would be gone and you’d probably be dead.

“Who are you and what are you doing on my ship?” He asked sternly, his tone and voice reflecting his anger.  
“I promise I won’t hurt you, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know but please, for the love of the Maker, _please_ lower your blaster. I don’t wanna die. Please.” She had an almost sad look in her eyes and she seemed convinced she could die at any minute. Mando took a second to reassess her potential to be dangerous, and eventually put his blaster back in the holster on his hip.

“There. Now, answer.”  
“Thank you.” She said with a sigh of relief, putting her hands down on the thin mattress and closing her eyes for a few seconds, breathing heavily. After a while, she opened up her eyes and looked at the man in Beskar armor, still some hint of worry in her expression. “I...I was one of the mechanics who fixed your ship back in Nevarro. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude, I just-” She stopped herself and bowed her head down, looking at her hands. Her fingers were by her stomach and she was anxiously toying with them.  
“You just? Just what?”  
“I… I went out a little bit late last night and I was really tired at work… so I took a nap in the pod when we were fixing your ship up and I fell asleep. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to follow you or anything.”

For some reason, the Mandalorian had trouble believing his passenger’s story. It seemed too...off to be true. But, he chose to give her the benefit of the doubt and offered her to use the fresher. She accepted and got out of the pod, standing up in front of Din. She was smaller than him, maybe between 5 ft 4 (1m65) and 5 ft 6 (1m70) he thought. She had her straight hair cut to a little above the shoulders, and it was colored: blue at the roots and turning into purple in the length, while the ends were a dark purple. Her skin was a light brown and he noticed she had a pretty face, with full lips stained with a little bit of red, curious dark brown eyes, and a ring piercing her left nostril. She was wearing a simple necklace, just a thick black string going through 5 white rocks that served as pendants, it was close to her neck, almost like a choker. Her clothes were bare, nothing but a black tee with a grey long-sleeved undershirt, black fitted pants that had a few holes and rips, and the other worn-out brown boot on her right foot. She bent down to get her other shoe and went to the fresher without a word. When she left, Din decided to take some time to look around in his pod, to see if anything had been tempered with. He didn’t notice anything strange at first until his eyes landed on a dark mass, tucked away behind the pillows. He grabbed the mass and realized it was a duffel bag. Frowning, he opened the bag and discovered supplies. Food rations, some mechanic’s tools, a few clothes, a small purse filled with credits...and a sword. Two swords, actually. They were not too long, just around 1ft11 (60 cm), but they were impressive in their design. The handles were pitch black, with serpent-like creatures engraved in it, still in black. The blades were dark too, not black but more of a dark grey. Mando took one of the blades closer to his face to inspect it, and he couldn’t help but be in awe of the fine work of the swords. He was brought back to the situation by the sound of the fresher door opening and got out of the pod, the duffel bag in one hand, his blaster in the other. The second the woman’s eyes landed on the bag, her eyes widened in surprise.

“Is this yours?”

She closed her eyes and lowered her head, muttering something to herself that Mando couldn’t hear. After a moment, she cleared her throat and looked back to the man in armor, opening her mouth to say something before freezing completely, struggling to find the words to explain herself. Mando took a step back and tightened his grip on his blaster, sensing something was off about this situation. All of a sudden, the woman shot her head up to look at the ceiling and sighed.

“Fuck. Fuck. Shit. Fuck.” She said, still looking at the ceiling before bringing her eyes back to the man in beskar. “Okay look, I might’ve lied a little bit earlier.”

At these words, the Mandalorian put his finger on the trigger of his blaster, ready to shoot. Not only had she managed to sneak on _his_ ship, but she also _lied_ about how she got there, and possibly who she was. Also, she had two very beautiful and probably _very_ effective swords in her bag. He wasn’t about to take any chances. At the sight of the man’s finger ready to press the trigger, the woman started panicking and put her arms out in front of her as if to calm him down. She meant it when she said she didn’t want to die. Not _today_ , at least.

“Okay okay, I get that you’re mad that I lied and you still don’t know who I am and all but please, I am begging you, hear me out. I swear I’m not here to hurt anyone.” She pleaded, tears forming in her eyes. She had given up everything to be on this ship, and dying in it wasn’t in her plans.

The Mandalorian took a moment to think and eventually lowered his blaster, still keeping it in his hand just in case. She didn’t have her weapons anyway, so if she wanted to attack, he would be quick to end her life. Just like the first time, the woman sighed in relief and thanked the Maker, clutching at her necklace, before she looked back at Mando.

“Thank you very much. I’m so sorry that I lied but...I was afraid you’d hurt me if I told you I got on the ship voluntarily.” When she said that word, Mando’s hold on his blaster tightened. What did she mean she got on the Crest voluntarily? Did she know about the Child? Was she after him, too?  
“Few things I didn’t lie about, I was really one of the mechanics that were working on your ship in Nevarro, and I was tired at work cause I was out late last night. Things I lied about: I did not accidentally fall asleep on your ship. I...got on your ship because...I wanted to leave Nevarro. And I didn’t know how I was going to do that until I saw you land. You looked like you were friends with the Marshal and the Magistrate, and there was that cute little thing with you, so I figured you were probably a nice guy, y’know? And the Crest is a very nice-”  
“Why did you want to leave Nevarro?” The woman took a deep breath and smiled sadly.  
“I...wasn’t safe there anymore. People, bad people, with bad intentions were coming for me so I just...had to. Question of survival, I guess.” Her head drooped down and her eyes fluttered closed for a moment, and the Mandalorian could sense a sadness emanating from her. He eased his hold on his blaster and rested it back in his holster.  
“Where do you want to go?”

Her head shot back up to him and she thought for a second. That was a question she never really asked herself, she realized. _Where do I wanna go?_ She opened her mouth tentatively, but nothing came out. She had no idea where she wanted to go now. The realization brought tears to her eyes. What was she thinking? She left Nevarro, her job, her life there, she left _him_ , and now it was all a blur. Mando could see her distress and, in a moment of kindness, handed her her bag, making sure to keep the swords with him, just in case.

“We’re headed to Corvus, you can get off there. In the meantime, I’m keeping your weapons. Try not to touch anything. And if you try something, I’ll put you in carbonite. Okay?”

The woman nodded frantically, grabbing her bag weakly. Mando indicated her the ladder to the cockpit with his head and they both went up. The Child was awake now and looked at the new passenger with curious eyes. She was crying silently, but the sight of the green baby brought a shy smile to her face. She sat down on the other seat, her duffel resting on her thighs, and the Mandalorian went back to the pilot seat. The Child managed to get off his seat and walked towards the woman, who tentatively extended a hand towards him. His three little fingers grabbed hers softly, and a coo escaped his lips as he extended his other arm to her, as if he was asking to be held. She shyly motioned to grab him, but a beskar clad arm enveloped the Child, yanking him away from her and onto his armored thighs. She sighed sadly and brought her arms back onto her bag, tears flowing again on her cheeks. She opened her bag and brought out a flask from it, opening it discreetly and taking a sip from it. She took a few sips, actually, before putting it back in the bag and closing her eyes, her head falling to the seat’s headrest before a light sleep engulfed her.

Hearing her heavy breathing, Din turned around to look at the woman to make sure she was asleep. He noticed the dried tearstains on her cheeks and her black tee-shirt and wondered what exactly she was fleeing from. He had enough trouble on his hands with the Imps already, and he didn’t want more people going after him and the people on his ship. He thought about killing her a few times earlier, but the more she spoke, the more he realized she was just helpless and lost and very very sad. It wasn’t in his habits to kill people who were very obviously not a threat to him, but all he thought about was the Child. After thinking about it for a while, he got up from his seat, holding the Child, and went back down to the hold. He put the Child down in his sleeping pod and went to grab something in his weapon storage and climbed back up the ladder to the cockpit. Grabbing her wrists gently, he bound them with handcuffs he usually uses for bounties. Better safe than sorry, he thought.

And so the Razor Crest went out of hyperspace, and the Mandalorian sat back in his seat to pilot the ship towards their next destination, with an extra passenger and a ball of anxiety growing in his stomach.


	2. Chapter 2: The Transgression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The stowaway makes life on the Crest just a little bit more stressful for Din. And for herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! New chapter! Cool!   
> Thanks for the kudos, I really appreciate it :)  
> This chapter is a little short cause after I finished chapter 2, I realized that it was wayyyyy too long, so I decided to cut it and make two chapters so it's easier to digest and to read.   
> Hope you enjoy!

When the woman woke up, she felt a little groggy. The contents of her flask had managed to get her to sleep quickly, but the consequence was a throbbing headache that she wished she could make go away, and general sickness. She also felt something on her wrists, and when she looked down, she frowned in confusion. When had the Mandalorian cuffed her? And why? She looked around the cockpit, hoping to get these bounds off her wrists, but she was the only one there. The ship was still in hyperspace, although she suspects it was probably from a second jump. She mustered the courage to get out of her seat and got up to check in the hold. 

The Mandalorian was making food for himself and the Child down there. He was hunched over a small kitchenette on the left side of the ship, and the kid was sitting on a crate not too far behind him, waiting impatiently for his food. His big black eyes turned towards the cockpit ladder when he heard a small groan coming from there, and he made a little sound at the sight of the woman, who had obviously struggled to get down with bound hands and a large bag to carry. Din turned around to look at her, and he could tell that she wasn’t feeling well. _Maybe the cuffs aren’t necessary anymore_ , he thought. She was bent over her knees, hands gripping them like they were a lifeline, and her skin had a slight yellow tone to it. She basically looked like she was about to puke and pass out. She almost tripped on her foot when she tried to straighten herself, and her hands flew to grab the ladder to stay standing up. 

“Are you...okay?” Mando asked, wondering what had gotten her in such a state. 

She weakly turned her head towards him, squinting as if to get him in focus, and raised a timid thumb to signal she was fine, although she felt like her insides were about to jump out from her skin. She let go of her grip on the ladder and walked weakly towards the man in beskar and the kid. She settled on a crate next to the little one and dropped her bag at her feet with a thud. The Child tilted his head curiously, wondering what was happening to her.

“I’m fine, I just...need to eat...something.” 

The words came out of her mouth with difficulty and her breath was ragged. Mando went to grab another bowl for her and brought her the broth he was making not long after. 

“Thank you…” When she spoke, the smell of alcohol engulfed Mando’s nostrils.

“Are you...drunk?” He asked, a wave of slight anger taking over him.

She just shrugged and started eating, before looking up to him.

“I had a bit of Jawa Juice to help me fall asleep, that’s all. But I didn’t eat so...yeah maybe, I don’t know.” The food had given her skin a more normal tone and the nausea was starting to pass already. 

“You can’t drink on my ship.”

“Oh come on, it’s not a big deal man.”

“Give me your drink.” He asked sternly, extending his right hand towards her. She gave him a puzzled look.

“You already took my swords, and now I have to give you my booze? Nah, that won’t do I’m so-”

“Your alcohol or you go right in carbonite.” 

Mando wasn’t asking anymore. He was demanding, his left hand forming into a fist next to him. Her eyes darted to it and she swallowed before putting down her bowl and reaching for her bag. She struggled a bit to open it, the cuffs making it harder for her to move her hands around, but she eventually managed to find her flask. She handed it to him reluctantly, and he took it almost violently from her hands. He darted to the other side of the cargo hold and disappeared inside his bunk for a few seconds, before finally emerging. Without a word, he settled next to the Child and gave him a bowl of broth, which he accepted happily.

The meal went by silently, the woman struggling a bit with her cuffs, but a little too scared of the Mandalorian to ask him to take them off. Mando was watching the Child as he was eating, making sure he wasn’t choking on anything or that he didn’t try to eat the bowl. His own was settled on a crate next to him, and the woman wondered why he wasn’t eating. When the Child was done, Mando picked him up and put him back in his little hammock, grabbed his bowl, and went up the ladder to the cockpit. The woman saw this as an opportunity and got up slowly, afraid the dizziness would come back. Once she was sure she could stand and walk without any issues, she darted to what she had identified as a possible weapon hold and patted around to try and open it. After a few seconds, she finally found the hidden button and the doors opened to reveal an impressive arsenal of blasters, rifles, knives...she took a moment to inspect everything before searching for what she truly wanted: her swords. She patted every possible hiding place, every single space in the hold, looking for her weapons. 

She was so invested in her search she didn’t even hear the Mandalorian coming back down the ladder and only acknowledged his presence when she felt the cold metal of a blaster cannon against her temple. Her hands stopped what they were doing immediately and froze in front of her, her eyes closed. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” The slow modulated voice of the Mandalorian asked, and she could hear the anger in every single syllable. 

She didn’t know what to do, what to say, too afraid that she'd be dead the second she moved or opened her mouth. She swallowed heavily, her eyes opening slowly and moving to look at the man who could end her life in a flash. She couldn’t see his eyes through his visor, but she could imagine his expression very well, and she was glad he had his helmet on. They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity before the Mandalorian pulled his blaster away a little, just so that it didn’t touch her skin directly anymore. The woman took that as an indication that she could do or say something without fear of being killed right away. 

“I was just looking for my swords. The ones you took? They’re important to me and I was...looking...for them. Nothing more, I swear.” She said very slowly, hoping it would convince the Mandalorian to ease off her. 

He looked at her intensely for a moment, before lowering his blaster and grabbing one of her arms. She grunted in surprise and before she knew it, she was pressed against a wall on the other side of the hold. Mando had both her arms in his hands now, pushed against the metal of the Crest, and his armored knee was pressing lightly against her stomach. His helmet was inches away from her face. Her breath was ragged and her body was trembling a little and he could tell she was scared. _Good_ , he thought. That was exactly where he wanted her. 

“Look I don’t know who you are, I don’t know if you work for anyone, but if I catch you touching any of my things again, I’ll kill you. Are we clear?” His tone was cold and domineering, and all she could bring herself to do was nod frantically. “As for your swords, you won’t get them back until I know I can trust you. Or until you get off this ship. Understood?” 

She nodded again, a slight pinch tugging at her heart. Those swords meant everything to her, and to be separated from them for even a day was unbearable. But she didn’t have a choice if she wanted to stay alive, apparently. He let her go right after that and went back to the cockpit, leaving her paralyzed against the wall, bruises where his gloved fingers were gripping her arms. She stayed like this for a little while, breathing rapidly, before she felt something uneasy in her stomach and puked on the floor of the cargo hold.


	3. Chapter 3: The Tatooine Situation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mando and the Child make a stop on Tatooine to get supplies, which signs the end of their journey with the girl. But a certain situation may change that...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Booom chapter 3!  
> I had a lot of trouble finishing this one so pls don't judge the shit ending sentence lmao I was S T R U G G L I N G  
> Anyways, it's a long one but it's also an important one!!  
> Hope you'll like it :)

The rest of the day went by very awkwardly. The woman had spent most of it cleaning both herself and the floor on which she had vomited, wanting to show the Mandalorian she really had no bad intentions. She had also cleaned the bowls and the pan in which he had made the broth earlier, as well as the fresher and basically anything else she could in the cargo hold. It was also a way for her to pass the time in the Crest, as there wasn’t much else to do anyway. She steered clear of the cockpit for the entire day, not wanting to make Mando angrier at her than he already was. He would come down to check on the kid or use the fresher sometimes, never acknowledging her. He spoke to the kid though, she noticed, and quite a lot too. He scolded him when he did something bad, asked him to stop touching things he wasn’t supposed to touch, played with him...She could even hear him speak when he took the Child with him in the cockpit. 

She had to admit that the Mandalorian’s relationship with the little green being had intrigued her since he saw them on Nevarro. She knew that the kid was originally a bounty and that he broke Guild rules by running away with him, which caused a huge ruckus in Nevarro. She had found out all this information a few days after it happened, from a friend who was in the Guild, at the local cantina. A few weeks later, she also found out from the presence of ex-Imperial officers and stormtroopers in the city that the kid was wanted by the Empire, or at least what was left of it, and that they were willing to kill anyone to get him. But apparently, the Mandalorian was willing to do the same to keep him. She wondered how someone who could be so violent, so cold, who killed for a living, could care so much for such a little thing, who was once a bounty. And she also wondered what had pushed the Mandalorian to rescue the Child. But those were questions she probably would never have the answer to. 

The only time the Mandalorian talked to her that day was to inform her they were going to make a stop on Tatooine to restock on food and supplies. She simply nodded, hoping he wouldn’t leave her on this hell of a planet. But all hopes faded away when he added that it would be the end of her journey on the Crest. Now, any other planet she wouldn’t have minded much, but Tatooine...she hated that one. With a passion. Too hot, too sandy, and way too dangerous. She had only been there once before, right after the Rebel Alliance won against the Empire, and she had a terrible memory of the place. She had been attacked not less than 5 times in a day on Mos Eisley and got caught in multiple fights in the cantina, including one where she got a black eye and a few bruises. She also almost died of dehydration in the desert. After that, she swore to herself she’d never set foot on this shithole again. Well, looked like she didn’t have a choice anymore.

They landed in Mos Eisley only a few hours later. The Mandalorian was carrying the Child outside as the ramp opened to reveal a hangar with little mech droids hard at work on...something. A woman in her late 50s was walking towards them with a grin, and she extended her arms when she saw the Child in Mando’s arms. He handed her the Child and motioned for the girl to come out behind him.

“I didn’t think I’d see you back here so soon, but I can’t say I’m not happy to see that little womp rat again.” The woman said, gently stroking the kid’s ears before looking up at the girl, who still had her wrists in handcuffs. “And who’s that? She a bounty or are you just kinky?” The comment made the Mandalorian obviously uncomfortable, and he quickly dismissed her insinuation.

“She’s clandestine. Got on my ship in secret back in Nevarro. I’m leaving her here.”

“Oh. Well, a pretty girl like her...surely she deserves better than to be left in Mos Eisley, but that’s your call I guess.” She said with a shrug, meeting the girl’s grateful stare.

“Can you watch the kid for a few hours? I need to get some supplies, we’re running low.” The woman nodded with excitement. “Thank you, Peli.” Mando turned around to look at the girl. “Come over here.” She proceeded, holding her bag in her hands however she could with the cuffs, and hoped it was to take them off. “I’m gonna uncuff you.” A small smile of satisfaction crept on her lips. Finally, she was going to be free again. “If you try anything, I’m putting a hole in your head. Got it?” She nodded, and he uncuffed her carefully, watching her every move. 

“Thank you.” She said as she rubbed her sore, red wrists. “It was getting a little tight in there, not gonna lie.” She let out a little laugh to lighten the mood, but the Mandalorian didn’t even move. “Alright, tough crowd.” She muttered to herself. “What about my swords? You said you’d give them back once I got off the ship.”

“Don’t move.” He went back into the Crest for a moment, before emerging with the weapons, one in each hand. Peli watched, intrigued, as he moved towards the girl. “Again, if you try anything-”

“Yeah, you’re gonna shoot me, I get it.” The girl said, visibly annoyed, adjusting her bag over her shoulder and extending her hands to take back her most prized possessions. “You ever gonna give ‘em back or what?”

The Mandalorian was taken aback by the way she was speaking to him. So far, he thought she was just scared, lost, and confused, but now he saw that she was also...feisty. He handed her the weapons reluctantly. In the time he had to inspect them, he noticed that the blades were made out of a very familiar metal: beskar. He didn’t know where she got them and didn’t really care, but he knew that beskar belonged with Mandalorians, not with just anybody. Still, the weapons were hers, so he fought the urge to keep them for himself and instead gave them back to their owner. She sighed in relief once the swords were in her hands, and immediately brought them close to her face to inspect their state. Once she was done, she shoved them in her bag and got back up to face the Mandalorian.

“You took good care of them. Even cleaned them. Thank you.” She nodded in thanks, turned to the Child and waved. “Was a pleasure to know you, little guy. Much nicer than your caretaker. See ya!” Back to the Mandalorian. “Thanks for not killing me all those times. Asshole.” She smiled, gave him the middle finger, and left the hangar. 

“I like her. She sounds like a fun time.” Peli said, giggling after the girl left.

The Mandalorian just groaned and left the hangar shortly after. He was glad that the girl was out of his way now, and with the way she had said her goodbyes, he had no remorse about leaving her in Mos Eisley anymore. 

As he walked around town, Din noticed some people talking about him, curiously looking at him. He didn’t make much of it at first, knowing that most people weren’t used to seeing people like him around. But after a while, it became suspicious. What tipped him off was the behavior of a Trandoshan when he made a stop at a mechanical shop to get spare parts in case the Crest was to be damaged again. The Trandoshan kept his eyes locked on the Mandalorian the whole time he was there, took out his comlink, said something to it, and eventually stepped out with a quiet, slow, cruel laugh. After he got what he needed, Mando got out and started to walk back to the ship at a faster pace than usual. Something was off, and he knew it. 

Meanwhile, the girl walked mindlessly around town, not knowing where to go or what to do, before finding herself in front of the infamous cantina that she hated so much. She stood in front of it for a moment, sighing in despair, before entering the place. It had changed a little since last time. The human bartender was replaced by a droid and the place was much more quiet and empty than it used to be. She sat down at the bar and ordered a tall glass of Bantha blaster. Soon enough, a human man sat next to her and started flirting and offering to buy her drinks. She was about to decline but then stopped herself.  _ What the hell _ , she thought,  _ he’s offering company and free booze _ . The two started talking, and although the man was as basic and boring as they come, she had mastered the art of lying and pretending over the years, so she acted as if he was the smartest, hottest, most interesting man in the galaxy while drinking Bantha blaster after Bantha blaster. 

As she was about to follow him to his place, the sound of blasters firing nearby made everyone in the streets panic and made the girl curious to see what was causing this mess. A little drunk and feeling brave, she tried to get the man - whose name she learned was Flavius - to come with her and see what was happening. He didn’t seem interested, instead insisting that they go back to his place, placing a hand on her ass and the other on the small of her back. She laughed and kicked him in the nuts, calling him a “fucking coward and a loser”, before running toward the sounds of blaster fire. She knew it was probably dangerous, but at this point, she didn’t care. She wanted to have some fun and do something she hadn’t done for a while: fight. 

The sounds were coming from behind a building, a few minutes away from the cantina. Although she was ready to jump right into it, she had to think about her strategy again when she saw the Mandalorian fighting with a very big Trandoshan. She hid behind a wall, making sure to keep an eye on what was going on. The fight was impressive, both the Mandalorian and the Trandoshan being very skilled fighters. After a little while though, the Trandoshan was joined by another one, just as big as him. The Mandalorian did his best to fight them both but eventually started to falter. He fell to the ground, his blaster falling out of his hand. One of the Trandoshans kicked the blaster away and put his boot on Mando’s throat, applying just enough pressure to make his breath more sporadic. The other one crouched next to him, a deep, mean laugh coming from his mouth. 

“You’re foolish, Mandalorian. Walking around town with all that beskar on you...It’s very valuable, you know? And we’ll make a lot of money with it.” He said slowly, an evil grin on his face. “But before we kill you...let’s see what’s under there.”

The Trandoshan then placed his hands on each side of the Mandalorian’s helmet, ready to take it off. Din tried to get them off him, struggling and moving around frantically, but he was starting to see stars due to the pressure on his throat. His helmet was about to be taken off when suddenly, the Trandoshan who had his boot on him went stiff and the Mandalorian noticed a small hole where his heart should be. The other Trandoshan took his hands off the helmet and grunted in shock as his friend fell on his back, revealing the blue-and-purple-haired girl, both her swords in her hands and a slight smirk on her face. Her eyebrows went up and down, teasing the reptile-like creature, which caused him to jump towards her. In an unexpected athletic impulse, she went into a backward handspring, avoiding the Trandoshan’s assault. She landed not too far from him, still smirking at him, a playful expression in her eyes. Meanwhile, Din managed to find the strength to get back on his feet, ran to get his blaster, and shot the Trandoshan in the back. His enemy fell forward, his head landing right in front of the girl’s feet. She turned her head towards him, a disappointed look on her face.

  
“Hey! You’re no fun.” 

“What are you doing here?” He asked, out of breath, holstering his blaster.

“Uhh, saving your life, apparently.” She said, looking at the two Trandoshan bodies around them. “You’re welcome by the way.” She looked at Mando, a content smile on her face. 

“I didn’t need your help.” He said, walking closer to the girl.

“Oh really? ‘Cause from where I was, it looked like they were about to put a blaster hole right…” She closed the gap between them and placed her right index finger just above his visor. “There.”

Mando flinched as she put her finger on his helmet. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. The Trandoshan had almost managed to take off his helmet, and they probably would’ve shot him between the eyes after that. He was still shaken that his face had been so close to being uncovered. He didn’t think the Trandoshan would be so skilled, and that he would bring a friend, too. He was also surprised that this girl he thought was harmless had been the one to save him. 

“I…” He tried to protest, to save face, but he had to give in. “Thank you.”

“Eh, no worries. Felt like fighting anyway, so...” She turned around, stepped over one of the bodies, and went to get her bag which she had put against a wall. 

“Why did you do it?” The modulated voice of the Mandalorian called out. She stopped in her tracks, turning to face him.

“Do what?”

“Help. Save me. I thought you hated me.”

“Oh. Well...I thought about the kid. He seems to be attached to you and I hated to think of him being sad so...yeah. And you did spare me a couple of times on the Crest. Felt right, I guess.” She shrugged and walked to her bag for a second before turning around to look at him again. “Also, I don’t hate you. You just got on my nerves a little, with the threatening to kill me all the time, but other than that you’re alright I suppose.” She offered a slight smile and turned to get her bag. 

She was about to leave to go...well, she didn’t know where, when she felt a hand grabbing her arm. She spun around and was about to punch him when she realized it was just Mando. 

“I owe you.” He simply stated, softening his grip on her arm. 

“What?” She asked, confused.

“You didn’t have to save my life, but you did. So I owe you.” He cleared his throat, letting go of her arm. “If you want, you can stay on the ship for a while. It wasn’t right of me to leave you here without asking if that was alright for you, I’m sorry. And Peli’s right, Mos Eisley is not a nice place for someone like you.”

The woman didn’t have time to linger on his last few words, her brain focused on the offer he had just made him.  _ You can stay on the ship for a while. _

“Is this serious? Are you serious?” She asked in disbelief. He nodded and she smiled, involuntarily letting out a sigh of relief, grabbing his gloved hand and shaking it with energy. “Oh my, thank you so much. I can’t tell you how grateful I am. Really.”

“Don’t sweat it.” He said simply, letting go of her hand and grabbing the bags of supplies before walking towards the hangar, the girl following behind.

“I just realized, I don’t know your name.” The girl said matter of factly while they were walking.

The Mandalorian stopped for a second, thinking about her inquiry. He had a rule not to tell anyone what his name was. But Moff Gideon kinda broke that for him back in Nevarro. He was debating with himself, staring at nothing in the distance, while she was looking at him in expectation. She didn’t think asking for his name would...break him. 

“You know what? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I’ll just call you Mando.” The Mandalorian’s gaze shot back to hers. “And...I know you didn’t ask, but I’m Rae. Rae Obath. Just so you know.”

The Mandalorian gave a nod in acknowledgment, and they started walking again. When they got to the hangar, the mech droids were sitting on the ground, playing sabacc with Peli, the Child half-asleep on her lap. Peli was made aware of Mando’s presence when the droids retracted into themselves out of fear. The older woman turned around to look at Mando and was surprised to find him with the girl he had decided to leave here. The Child immediately sprung to life when he saw the Mandalorian and extended his little arms towards him in excitement.

“You changed your mind?” She asked him, handing him the Child and pointing at Rae with her head.

“Yes. She helped me out of a...situation, so I’m not leaving her here.” He said, holding the kid tightly in his arms.

“Tell me, did that situation have anything to do with the sound of blaster fire we heard a few minutes ago?”

“You and I both know that question is rhetorical.” He answered simply, earning a scoff from Peli.

“Well, you can’t stop yourself from making Mos Eisley more interesting every time you come over, can you?”

“Looks like it.” 

Mando looked at Rae over Peli’s shoulder. She was crouched, playing with the little mech droids, not really paying attention to the conversation. Following his gaze, Peli turned around to look at her as well.

“I hope you know what you’re in for with him, kid.” She told her matter of factly. “That man...is a lot of trouble.” Rae got up and smirked.

“That’s fine. I’m used to trouble.” 

“Alright let’s get going.” Din intervened, heading towards the Crest. “Thanks again Peli.”

“It’s always my pleasure to look for this little one.” She answered, taking a few steps back to clear the landing zone.

Mando settled the Child on his seat, right behind his own, before sitting down and clicking buttons on the control panel. Rae took the seat next to the Child’s and put her bag at her feet, eager to explore the galaxy a little more before being forced to settle somewhere. Within a few minutes, everything was ready for take-off. And so, the clan of two and the stowaway left Mos Eisley.

“Where are we going now?” Rae asked while trying to look over the indications on the dashboard.

“Corvus. Edge of the Outer Rim.” Din answered simply, calculating the best and shortest route to the forest planet.

Rae nodded in acknowledgment and felt something tugging at her pants near her ankles. When she looked down, she saw the Child, a curious look on his face, and smiled immediately. She took him in her arms and played with him, without noticing the Mandalorian looking discreetly at them over his shoulder. 

He didn’t really know what he signed up for by letting her stay with them, but for some reason, he wanted to find out. He didn’t know why yet, but he had a...feeling about her. Like somehow, she was thrown in his life for a reason. Din didn’t really believe in fate, in everything being written in the stars, but when she saved his life on Tatooine, he started thinking that maybe it wasn’t a coincidence that she found her way to his ship. 

Turning his gaze back to the endless landscape of stars in front of him, he tried to think about something else, about what would happen when he found the Jedi. But his mind kept going back to the girl with the beskar swords.   
  



	4. Chapter: The Savior Complex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Crest's hyperdrive is busted, meaning the journey to Corvus will take longer than planned. After working on it all day, Rae relaxes with a drink and is joined by Mando.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm back!  
> It's a short one, but it's a good one in terms of character development, IMO.  
> Enjoy!

The Crest’s hyperdrive was busted. _Again_ . Din noticed that shortly after leaving Tatooine, and Rae immediately got to work trying to fix it with some of the spare parts he had gotten in Mos Eisley. But it had been an entire day now, and nothing she tried seemed to work. She was standing in front of the hyperdrive, wearing her grey mechanic overalls, sweat dripping off her forehead, and a tool in hand. She didn’t remember how long it was since she started on this, but she knew she wanted to keep going, to figure it out. That was what she loved doing, after all. _Fixing_ stuff. Just as she was about to crouch in front of the problem, she heard Mando’s signature clanking sound as he made his way down the cockpit ladder. She thought he was just going to bed, but then felt his presence behind her. And then she heard his modulated voice.

“You should take a break. You’ve been working all day.” He said simply as she turned around to face him.

“I can’t rest until I fix this thing.” She said, wiping the sweat that had accumulated on her forehead with her sleeve.

“It can wait.”

“I thought you were in a hurry to get to Corvus.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I don’t know, you’ve been all fidgety all day. Figured that was why.” She shrugged and got back to it.

He paused, thinking about it. He didn’t want to admit to a woman he barely knew that the reason he had been... _fidgety_ , was because he was anxious about going to Corvus. About leaving the Child there with the Jedi. He had gotten used to his presence around the ship, and he liked being a surrogate parent to him, to his own surprise. What had surprised him the most, though, was how much he liked not being alone in the Crest anymore. Being a clan of two. Although the broken hyperdrive had bothered him at first, he didn’t really want it fixed anymore. He was fine with spending more time on the ship with the Child before going back to his life as a lone bounty hunter, traveling the galaxy in search of...he didn’t know what anymore. And he could use this time to get to know Rae, too. It was something he had learned he liked over the past few months, getting to know people. It started with the villagers he and Cara had helped, then with Peli, with Cobb...now, old Mando never really took the time to talk to people much, but new Mando thought it was nice to have a few friends. People he knew he could trust and count on. And Rae had already saved his life and his honor without being one of those people. So he decided he would make her one. He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of a tool banging against the wall of the cargo hold.

“Dank farrik! Stupid hyperdrive.” Rae muttered.

“Take a break.” He said, almost as if he was ordering her to. 

He sat on a nearby crate and laid his head back against the wall of the hold.

“You can take the bunk if you want, I’ll stay up for now.” She turned towards him and sat on the crate next to his, also leaning her head against the cold metal wall.

“Nah, I’m fine. Can’t sleep when I’m like this.”

They stayed in silence for a moment. Then eventually Rae got up and grabbed something in her bag, before heading to the cooking area of the hold and grabbing a glass, turning her head towards Mando.

“Wanna drink with me?” She asked, hoping he wouldn’t be angry at her.

“No. Thanks.” 

“Okay...do you mind if I do?” She asked with a slight smile, and Mando nodded. She had been working for hours now, she deserved a drink at the very least.

Rae went back to her crate, a bottle in one hand and her glass in another, and poured herself some orange drink. Silence filled the Crest again as she took a few sips and relaxed a little. Seeing her spinning her drink, he decided now was a good time to get to know her. In fact, he had many questions about her, about her swords, obviously, and why exactly she fled Nevarro. He was going to start with that.

“So...you never said why you left Nevarro.” He asked tentatively, hoping she would provide him with an answer.

Rae scoffed and gazed down at her drink for a few moments, and Din thought he had made a mistake in asking her. He was ready to not speak anymore when he heard her clear her throat.

“You ever been in love, Mando?” She asked simply. He didn’t have the answer to that question, though, so he just shrugged.   
“Well, I have. One thing I’ve learned is, it makes you stupid. Like, really fucking stupid.” She finished her drink and poured more of the orange liquid into her glass, then took a long sip.  
“Before I was on Nevarro, I lived and worked on Batuu. Not a great place, but when you’re a mechanic, it’s a chromium mine. People come and go all the time, and they all need something fixed. Anyway, I didn’t have a lot of friends in Batuu. Was very lonely. But then I met this guy, he was a bartender at the local cantina. He was nice, he looked good...we became friends and eventually, we fell in love. One day, he asked me to leave for Nevarro with him. He didn’t tell me why, but I loved him, so I did, and we moved to Nevarro together. The first few months were fine. But then…” She paused and took a deep breath, her brows furrowing slightly.  
“You never really know someone until you live with them. Turns out, that nice, good looking guy...drank. A lot. Smoked a lot of spice, too. And when he was high, he was mean. And violent. I should’ve left the first time he hit me, but like the idiot in love I was, I thought I could... _save_ him, somehow. So I stayed. And it got worse. One day, I found out another of his addictions was gambling. And that he had lost most of our savings, my ship, and a bunch of other stuff.” She clenched her fist and exhaled deeply.  
“I also found out that was why he wanted to leave Batuu so badly, he owed some guys money and, well, he didn’t have any. I tried to talk him out of it, but it never worked. He promised he would stop, and then he would come home late at night, drunk, crying cause he lost again. Fucker even lost our apartment.” Tears were forming in her eyes now, and her voice was shaky with emotion.  
“The night before I got on your ship was one of those nights, except he wouldn’t tell me what he lost this time, and he seemed nervous. I thought it was my sabers, so I pushed him until he told me. But...it was me. He didn’t have anything to bet anymore, so the motherfucker bet _me_. And he fucking lost. Can you believe that?” She laughed through her tears, but there was only sadness and anger in her tone. She took another long sip.   
“He said some Devaronians would come over the next day to take their due. But I couldn’t let that happen. I didn’t know what to do, I had no ship, no money...and no one ever comes to fucking Nevarro.” She paused for a few seconds and turned to look at Mando, whose visor was fixed on her the whole time.  
“But _you_ did. Now I don’t believe in destiny that much, but I can’t bring myself to think it was a coincidence. And, again, I’m very sorry about intruding, I know it wasn’t right, but-”

“It’s fine.” Mando interrupted, and Rae looked at him with wide eyes, tears still streaming down her face. 

Mando repressed the urge to wipe them off, and instead got up to grab another glass. He poured himself a little bit of that orange liquid, turned his face away from Rae, and lifted his helmet just enough to take a sip. The drink was stronger than he expected, and he coughed in surprise, feeling a burning sensation down his throat. Rae couldn’t help but laugh, but not the same kind of laugh as before. It was earnest, this time. It made him smile a bit. When Mando turned his head back towards her, helmet fully down, she had her glass up as if she was about to make a toast. And that’s exactly what she did.

“To the pieces of shit of the galaxy, and leaving them behind. K’oyacyi.” She tapped her glass with Mando’s and finished it in one sip.

Mando was taken aback by everything. By her story, by her attitude, by the fact that she could drink whatever this liquid was so easily when he could still feel it burning in his guts. And by the fact that she just spoke Mando’a. He was about to say something about that when she interrupted his train of thought.

“You’re a man of few words, aren’t you?” She said, amused. He didn’t answer. “Not really the talkative type. Maybe I should be more like you. Maybe it’d save me a lot of trouble. See, my problem is that I talk too much. And I’m kind of an asshole sometimes. People don’t like that too much.” She said, looking down at her drink. “If I’m ever bothering you, don’t hesitate to tell me. I’ll get it.”

Mando simply nodded, and the girl got up with difficulty. Mando extended his hand to help her stabilize, but she managed on her own and started walking towards the cot.

“Still okay with me sleeping in here?” She asked, trying to stay stable on her feet.

“Sure. You need it more than me.” Mando answered, getting up to clean the glasses.

“Thanks, Mando.”

She pressed the button to open the bunk door and came face to face with the Child, who immediately extended his little green arms towards her, cooing. She smiled at him and took him in her arms, but the weight of the baby destabilized her a bit, causing her to almost drop him to the ground. Mando saw this and immediately walked up to them and grabbed the kid from her hands, making sure he was alright. He didn’t seem to be bothered by what just happened. Actually, he looked more amused than anything. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened, I-” She stuttered, looking at her hands with disbelief.

“You’re drunk. Get some rest. I’ll take care of the kid.” He interrupted, cradling the Child close to his chest. 

Rae looked down at her feet, ashamed of what just happened, and entered the cot. Mando closed the door behind her, and she could hear him talk to the Child, asking if he was alright, before the sound of his robotic voice faded away. She took off her overalls with hardship, threw them at the other end of the bed, and laid her head down on the pillow. She tried closing her eyes, but then the entire world felt like it was spinning around her, and that wasn’t good for her stomach. Instead, she just kept her eyes open, looking up at the ceiling, and felt tears welling up her eyes. She fell asleep like this, dried tears on her cheeks, her head facing the ceiling, and hoping that soon her life would be even slightly better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! And for the kudos and the comments and the bookmarks and all that <3  
> Just a few notes for this chapter :  
> *Chromium is a very rare metal in the Star Wars universe, and since Gold isn’t very rare in SW, I switched it up so it made more sense!  
> *K'oyacyi means "Cheers" in Mando'a (the Mandalorian language)  
> Speaking of Mando'a, how do you think Rae knows how to speak it?


	5. Chapter 5: The Cut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Routine settles in the Crest, wounds are tended to and crazy revelations are made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyy I'm back and I'm a mess after the last episode of season 2 (but also I can't wait to finally get there in my fic omg more teaaars)  
> So this chapter is cool, bit of a time jump, bit of friendship here and there, overall just advancing the relationship between our three protagonists :)  
> small TW: graphic depiction of a wound? not too graphic, i’m just talking about like blood and stuff in that one, that’s all!
> 
> EDIT 02.06.21 / I edited the chapter to change a few incorrect information about when Rae joined the rebellion, to make it as accurate as possible although the canon timeline is a kind of a mess.

It had been a week since Rae and Mando had left Tatooine. The hyperdrive was still down and Corvus only a few hours away. Rae, Din, and the Child had found a good rhythm to live in the Crest together. Din was in charge of piloting the ship, Rae of fixing what needed to be fixed and making some food, and they both took turns taking care of the kid. Mando was always a bit iffy whenever Rae took the Child in her arms due to the little incident from the week prior, but he was also careful to not let her near him when she had something to drink. Which was pretty much every night before she went to bed. That was the only thing that bothered him about her, he found. She drank way too much. And too regularly. Other than that, he found her kind, helpful, and nice to talk to. Or in his case, to listen to, rather. 

One part of their routine was dinner, which they ate together almost every night. During dinner, Mando would ask questions to Rae, and she would give him a usually lengthy answer in the form of a story, which he enjoyed listening to. In the past week, she had told him that she used to be with the Rebel Alliance, volunteering as a mechanic and technician on Yavin 4 at around 22 years old and that before that she lived with her mother on Naboo. He also learned that she was born in 24 BBY, making her 33 years-old. He tried to learn more about her knowledge of the Mando’a language and why she had beskar weapons with her, but she always avoided the subject, which made him even more curious.

As for Rae, well...she asked Mando some questions, too. None of them ever got an answer. She didn’t think it was very fair that he knew so much about her while she had no idea what his name even was. The one she tried the most was about his helmet and, more precisely, why he never took it off in front of her or the kid. The only thing he said in return was: “This is the Way”. And that was it. Nothing else. She knew about Mandalorians, about their religion, their traditions - more than she cared to admit - but she had never met one who obeyed such strict rules regarding the armor. It made her wonder what Mando looked like under all that beskar. She even started to wonder if he was even human. Everything about him pointed in that direction, but how could she be sure when he wouldn’t show the smallest amount of skin? When he wouldn’t even show his fingers? For all she knew, he could be a Zabrak or a Mirialan. For now, he was just a mystery. One she was hoping to unravel soon. 

Overall, they both enjoyed the other’s company and were slowly becoming friends. Mando noticed that the Child seemed to like having Rae around too, and he decided that she could stay on the ship until the Child was safe with a Jedi, if she wanted to. 

For now, Rae was in the cargo hold, still trying to fix the hyperdrive, but she had to admit it: this thing just couldn’t be fixed. It was dead and needed to be replaced completely. When she came to this realization, she sighed and walked up the ladder to the cockpit to tell Mando the bad news.

“So, your hyperdrive’s dead. Like, dead, dead. I tried everything with all I had and nothing worked, so you’ll probably need to get it replaced.” She said, undoing the top part of her overalls to reveal a black tank top before sitting down on what had become _her_ seat, right behind Mando.

Din turned his head slightly towards her, listening intently. He still didn’t mind that hyperspace traveling was gone, at least for now. It meant that if Corvus didn’t work, he had even more time to spend with the Child. And with Rae. He nodded to show he understood and fixed his gaze back to the stars before him. The Child was playing with his favorite toy, a piece of one of the Crest’s control handles, on his seat next to Rae’s. 

“I’ll see if I can find one on Corvus.”

“Are we close?”

“A few hours away.”

“Good. I need some fresh air, I’m not used to staying in a ship this long.”

Mando chuckled a little when he heard her say that, and the rare sound made Rae smile. She had started to think that Mando was incapable of showing any kind of emotion, but the chuckle showed her that he did have a soul under all that armor. It was a nice feeling. Silence filled the space of the cockpit, save for the Child’s little coos. After a little while, Rae noticed that the kid was pointing towards something on her arm. Confused, she frowned and looked down at her arm to where the Child was indicating, finding a long open wound on the exterior side of her right arm, with quite some blood flowing from it.

“Shit.”

“What is it?” Mando asks, a hint of worry in his voice.

“I...I think I cut my arm when I was down there.” 

Mando turned around to look at her arm. She was holding it up with her other one and he saw it. A vertical, straight wound on the exterior side of her arm, and a cut that looked deep. Mando got up from his seat, gently grabbed her arm, and led her towards the ladder.

“What are you doing?” Rae objected, yanking her arm away from him, which caused some blood to spill on the floor of the cockpit and her clothes.

“We need to get you patched up. It could get infected, or you could bleed out.”

“You’re being dramatic! I’m fine, I just-”

“Just get down, please.”

Seeing that Mando wasn’t going to change his mind, she complied, and he followed close behind her. When they were down in the hold, Mando immediately went to the refresher bay and grabbed a medkit. He motioned for Rae to sit on the edge of the cot and moved a crate over next to her, sitting on it and opening the kit. There wasn’t much in there, just bandages, disinfectant, and a stitching kit, but it was enough for him to patch himself up when he was alone. Once everything was open and ready, Din grabbed Rae’s arm and laid it on his beskar clad thighs before taking the disinfectant and a piece of gauze and applying it to the wound. Rae hissed, her arm slightly jolting to escape the pain. Din put his right hand on her arm, right above the wound, and gently brushed her skin with his thumb to soothe her. It was the gentlest he’d been with her since they met, and Rae almost froze when she felt the leather of his gloved thumb gliding on her epidermis. It was working, the gesture was soothing her a bit. But mostly, it surprised her to see Mando being capable of caring for anyone other than the Child. To see _him_ being caring towards _her_. Physically. She didn’t dare to move again, scared his touch would leave her if she did. But it eventually did anyway when Mando was done disinfecting the wound and grabbed the stitching kit. Her eyes widened in surprise then, but out of apprehension this time. Sensing her body tensing, Mando turned his visor towards her, his eyes gentle and reassuring under the helmet. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll try not to hurt you too much.”

“Do you...have to?”

“The cut is too deep to be left open.”

“Okay then…”

Mando grabbed the sutures, the needle, and the needle handler, and started to get to work. The first few tries were kinda chaotic, with Mando lacking precision in his movements due to the restriction of his leather gloves. After a few hisses of pain from Rae, he stopped what he was doing and removed his gloves, tossing them on the floor next to the crate. It was yet another moment of surprise for Rae, who was finally getting a glimpse at the man with whom she’d been traveling for a long week. His hands were rough, his fingers calloused, with various small marks and scars scattered on the back of his hands, and his skin was a very light brown. _So, he’s human_ , Rae thought at the sight of his skin. She let her eyes trail around every part of his exposed skin, wanting to memorize all of it to fill a gap in the mystery of the Mandalorian. She also focused on the feeling of his skin on hers, on his gentle fingers grazing her arm. It had been a long time since she felt a touch that was so innocent, so pure. And it felt nice. She closed her eyes until she felt his touch disappear, fading away after he wrapped a bandage around her newly sutured wound.

“All done.” Mando said, and when she opened her eyes again, he was shoving his hands back in his gloves.

“Thank you.” Rae answered, bringing her bandaged arm to her face to look at the work Mando had done. She couldn’t see much behind the bandage, but it looked like the suture was clean. “Did you patch up a lot of wounds?”

“A few. Mine, mostly.” Mando said, getting up from the crate and putting the medkit back in the refresher bay. “Bounty hunting isn’t exactly a safe job.”

“I imagine.” Rae chuckled, getting up from the cot and heading towards the ladder.

The pair went back to the cockpit to find the Child standing near the ladder, a worried look on his face. Rae took him in her arms and cradled him close to her, a hand gently stroking the top of his wrinkly head.

“Don’t worry little one, your dad patched me up nicely.” The Child cooed softly to her voice, bringing a hand to her face and gently stroking her cheek. She let out a small laugh and placed a kiss on his head.

“I’m not his father.” Mando interjected, sitting back down in the pilot’s seat and pressing some buttons here and there.

“Well, you’re the closest thing he has to a parent right now.” Rae countered, placing the Child on his seat and grabbing the small metal ball he was playing with, before putting it in his eager hand. “Whether you like it or not, you’re this kid’s dad for now.”

Mando didn’t know what to say to her, and deep down he knew she wasn’t completely wrong. Whoever the Child’s parents were, they had seemingly been out of the picture for some time. And he had been the one to protect him, take care of him, and even educate him for a few months now. But the term “father” seemed too...official. Sure, he cared for the kid more than he had cared about anyone for a long time, and he would gladly give his life if it meant keeping him safe, but he had never thought of himself as someone who could be a parent before. "Temporary caretaker" sounded more appropriate to him. And, besides, it didn’t feel right to proclaim himself as his parent when he didn’t know what the Child’s feelings towards him were. He seemed to show affection sometimes, appreciation, even. But Din didn’t want to assume anything regarding the kid’s attachment. Maybe it was to protect himself, to avoid disappointment when he would have to surrender the Child to his people, the Jedi. If he assumed the Child loved him, it would only be more painful to see him go. So he just didn’t. 

“So...you still haven’t told me what we were going to do on Corvus. There’s nothing there, so I don’t see why we’re going.” Rae asked, pulling Mando out of his thoughts. He turned his head to find her standing next to him, elbow on the top of his seat, eyes fixed to the starry decor of the galaxy.

“Someone told me I would find one of the Child’s people there. I have to reunite him with his kind.”

“Wait, you’re not keeping him?”

“No. He belongs with his people. Not with me.”

“Okay...so do you know who his people are?”

“I do. Apparently, he belongs to a race of sorcerers called the Jedi.” Rae looked at Mando in shock at the mention of the Jedi. 

“The Jedi don’t exist anymore. The Empire killed them all when the Republic fell. Are you sure of what you’ve been told?” She looked at him, confused about what he was saying. 

“You know about them?”

“Yes. My parents told me stories about them. Most people seem to think they’re just a legend, but they assured me they were real. And that they were all _dead_.”

“Well, I’ve been told that there’s one on Corvus.”

“So you’re just going to follow this lead when you’re not even sure it’s safe?” Rae asked in disbelief. The Jedi were gone, she was sure of it.

“I’m doing what I have to for the Child.”

“How do you know he’s a Jedi?”

“He can...do things. With his mind. I saw him lift a mudhorn mid-air. I was told these are abilities that only the Jedi have.” Rae was speechless. And convinced that Mando was fucking with her.

“Well, I hope you’re ready to be disappointed.” She sighed and left Mando’s side to sit in her chair, still in complete disbelief.

Rae was born shortly before the Clone Wars started, and had heard tales of the Jedi’s victories over the Separatists from her parents during her childhood. Her parents told her to keep her knowledge of the Jedi a secret, knowing that the Empire went after anyone who spoke highly of the Jedi. Or who spoke of them at all. Eventually, the Jedi became a myth to everyone. Hearing of them again was a shock to Rae, but hearing that Mando wanted to find one? That the Child might _be_ one? She just couldn’t believe it. And she didn’t. She turned her gaze towards the Child and looked at him in curiosity. She shook her head lightly and decided to take a nap until they got to Corvus. They probably wouldn’t find a Jedi there, but at least they’d be able to get some fresh air, and maybe a new hyperdrive. That was at least something to look forward to.


	6. Chapter 6: The Jedi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mando, Rae and the Child finally reach Corvus, and find themselves worried about the state of the planet. They encounter a Jedi, and revelations are made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I hope y'all had great holidays! I sure did, and now I'm back with a new chapter, which takes place during Chapter 13 of the Mandalorian, called The Jedi. It follows the plot of the first half of the episode, with some scenes removed and others added for the sake of the story, and of course because there's a whole new main character added to the story.  
> If you like angst and people fighting, this one's for you :)

  
A few hours and a lot of silence later, Corvus was finally in sight. Rae was in her seat, playing with a credit, flipping it with her finger, and occasionally throwing it in the air before catching it again. The Child was sitting on the control panel next to Din, looking at the planet with curious eyes.   
  


“Corvus, this is the place.” The Child’s gaze went from the stars to Mando’s face. “I’ve detected a beacon. I’m gonna start the landing cycle, you better get back in your seat.” Mando told the Child, who just...stayed there.

The Child’s eyes wandered around the cockpit for a second before landing on his favorite object in the Crest: the ball. He stared at it for a moment, completely entranced by the object, before Mando turned his head towards him.

“Hey! What did I tell you?” His tone was stern, strong, and the Child just looked at him in both confusion and disappointment. “Back to your seat.”  
  


This time, the Child obliged. Rae stopped playing with her credit to watch as the Child got down from the control panel, strutted to his seat, and gingerly climbed on it, settling himself on the leather. She leaned in front of her so her face was next to Mando’s.  
  


“I hope you realize you’re following a spice dream.” She whispered, still convinced that they would never find a Jedi on Corvus. Or anywhere else for that matter.

“We’ll see.” Mando answered, half hoping he would find a Jedi there to find out more about the Child, and half hoping that Rae was right so he could keep the kid by his side.  
  


Rae sighed and sat back down on her seat, looking out the window, just eager to finally get out of the ship. It hadn’t necessarily been a bad week, she had enjoyed spending time with the adorable kid and with Mando, but she was starting to miss sunlight. And natural gravity. And fresh, non-processed, non-recycled air. It was the first time she had spent such a long time on a ship with no interruption, and she didn’t think it would take such a toll on her. She had spent most of her life on sunny, lush planets, running around with always something to do. And it was hard being stuck in the middle of space, with no hyperdrive and nothing to do except trying to fix something that couldn’t be fixed, and telling her life story to a frustratingly quiet stranger she had never seen the face of and whose name she didn’t know. She’s pretty sure that without the Child, she would’ve gone stir crazy. He kept her curious and attentive, and playing with him was often the highlight of her day. When the Crest finally landed on the surface of the planet, she didn’t waste any time opening the hatch and running out of the ship. 

However, she was surprised to find that the planet was desolate. The trees were either burned to a crisp or dead, the flora was basically nonexistent, and the animals that inhabited the planet screeched in what sounded a lot like despair. There was a relatively thick, greenish fog all around her. Not exactly the fresh air and the sunny day she was dreaming of. She heard Mando’s boots clanking on the hatch behind her and shortly enough, he was standing next to her, inspecting the landscape around them.  
  


“I don’t like this.” Rae muttered, her brows furrowing as the creatures emitted a low noise in the background.

“Me neither. Let’s make this quick.” Mando said, determined, before the sound of the Child cooing rang behind them.   
  


Din turned around to look at him and was surprised to see the little ball in his hand. He took a few steps towards him and extended his arm to pry the ball from his little hands.  
  


“What did I say about that? This needs to stay in the ship.” The Child whined as Mando tucked the little metal object in his belt, turning back to look at the sad picture in front of them. “Not much to see out here...Never had dealings with a Jedi before.”

“That’s cause they’re all dead.” Rae muttered, kicking a rock with her boot as Mando picked up the kid.

“Let’s head into town, see if we can pick up a lead.” Mando said as he shoved the kid into a small bag and adjusted it on his shoulder.  
  


And so the three of them started to walk towards the city of Calodan, taking in the grim state the planet was in. Coming from such a luscious planet as Naboo, seeing a planet this dreary made Rae sad. She could tell the trees used to be tall and glorious, the ground covered in grass and flowers...but now, it was just a shadow of what she imagined it used to be. She hoped the city would be more lively, populated, and somewhat thriving.  When they finally reached the doors to the city, they were greeted by a scout guard.  _ Well, that doesn’t look good…  _ Rae thought, and as she glanced at Mando, she could tell he thought the same from the way his body tensed.  
  


“State your business.” The guard said, authoritarian.

“Been tracking for a few days. Looking for a layover.” Mando lied, his tone neutral.   
  


Rae didn’t know how he could be so emotionless when he talked, sometimes. The guard stared at Rae up and down before switching to Mando, lingering on him.  
  


“Nice armor. You’re hunters, then?”

“I am. She’s just hired help.” Mando said, and Rae slowly turned her head towards him, looking at him in disapproval. Hired help? Really?

“Guild?”

“Last I checked.”  
  


The scout turned to look at the others, uttering some words in a foreign language, before turning back to face the pair.  
  


“Open the gate.”  
  


And just like that, they were in the city. Rae’s hopes from earlier vanished as they walked into the city. The streets were bleak. There were a few guards that patrolled the streets and most of the villagers looked scared. They approached what looked like a shop of some kind, and as Mando started to speak, the woman who tended the shop left without a word, as if Mando wasn’t there. He turned to look at Rae, who had a puzzled look on her face. Looking around, he noticed a man who was talking to two children in a nearby alley and walked towards him.  
  


“You there. I need some information. I’m looking for someone.”  
  


The man whispered something to the children before turning to face Mando.  
  


“Please, do not speak to them, or to any of us.” His voice was hushed.

“Look, I just need to know…”  
  


He interrupted himself when the man he was speaking to looked at the ground as if he was excusing himself. He was starting to think the people of Calodan were very rude when he heard the voice of a guard behind him.  
  


“The Magistrate wants to see you.” Two guards were standing behind him, blasters in hand.  
  


Mando turned and started to follow the guards, who stopped in their tracks when they noticed that Rae was following them.   
  


“Just the Mandalorian.” The guard stated.

“Wherever he goes, I go.” She said, a bit of anger in her voice.

“You can’t come.”

“Look, I don’t know who your Magistrate thinks they are, but-” Mando stopped her by placing his arm in front of her, his helmet fixed on her face.

“It’s okay. I’m sure it won’t take long.” He then leaned closer to her face, whispering in her ear. “Try to figure out what is going on here. I’ll be back soon, I promise.” His voice was soft, softer than usual, and it took Rae by surprise. She slightly turned her head towards his and nodded in agreement. “She’s not coming, we can go.”  
  


The guards nodded and walked along the main street, Mando following behind them, the Child still in his bag. Rae sighed as she watched them leave, wondering what the hell she could do now. She settled on exploring the city, and wandered around aimlessly for a while, taking in the landscape. The floor was covered in mud and the houses looked...bare. Every time she tried to engage in conversation with a villager, they would either walk away in fear or tell her to leave. After a while, she found herself in front of six electric devices that looked made for torture, three on each side of the main street. Three of them were empty, and the three others were occupied by people. People who were begging for help. People who were barely clothed. Who had visible scars and wounds, probably from torture. Rae was astounded. She couldn’t move. She just stood in the middle of the street and stared at them, her fists clenched so hard her knuckles were turning white and her nails were digging into the palms of her hands, almost drawing blood. Seeing this reminded her of some of the things she saw on planets that were raided by the Empire. Although she was mostly stationed in different bases during her time with the Rebel Alliance, she had participated in a few battles and rescue missions. The memories of the horrors committed by the Empire on innocent people were engraved in her mind forever. And seeing such displays of violence in public took her back there. 

She was so shocked by the sight in front of her that she didn’t even notice Mando walking out from the Magistrate’s palace and towards her. He called her name a few times, to no avail. She was too deep in the recesses of her mind. Sensing something was wrong, he placed his hand gently on her shoulder, which startled her out of this trance-like state.   
  


“You okay?” Mando asked softly, as the Child cooed in echo with his voice. “You look...pale.”

“Y-yeah, just...these people.” She said, struggling to find her words. She pointed mindlessly towards the torture devices behind Mando, who raised his arm to lower hers. 

“I know. We gotta go, I got a location on the Jedi.” He said, eventually grabbing her hand in his when he realized she didn’t react. She seemed in shock, and he didn’t blame her.  
  


He gently led her out of the city, his thumb stroking the back of her hand from time to time to reassure her. Once they reached the gate, the scout guard from earlier said something to Mando that Rae didn’t even bother to listen to. They talked a little before the scout went back into the city and the gates closed behind them as they were walking to the ship. Mando led Rae inside and sat her down on the cot. He noticed her eyes were open wide and tears were silently falling down her cheeks. He settled the kid in his hammock just above her, and immediately after, his little head was peeking out to look down at the girl.  
  


“Please, talk to me, Rae.” Mando asked, his voice low and worried.

“The Empire used to do this in cities they raided. When I went on rescue missions, we would often find people dead in these things…” Rae said after a while, her voice coarse and quiet. “I just...I thought these were sights of the past. I guess I’m just naive.” She wiped the tears coming down her cheeks and looked at Mando. “You said you know where the supposed Jedi is?”  
  


Mando was surprised by how quickly she regained her composure and touched by her empathy. He didn’t know many people who could be this emotional at the sight of public torture. Maybe Cara, but that was the only other person he could think of.  _ I don’t know the most compassionate people _ , he thought. He went to get her a cup of water and sat on a crate in front of her.   
  


“Yes. The Magistrate asked me to kill her in exchange for a beskar staff.” Din explained to her while handing her the cup of water.

“And how does she know she’s a Jedi?” Rae asked, taking the cup in hand and downing it in a single sip.

“I don’t know, she just said she was one. She’s living deeper in the forest.”

“Or what’s left of it…”

“Yeah.” Mando said with a sigh. “We should get going soon, I’m not sure I want to wander in these woods when it gets darker out.” He turned his head so that his eyes were directly facing Rae’s. “I mean, you can stay here if you want to rest or something, you don’t have to come.”

“Are you kidding? I know I said we might never find a Jedi but I’m not missing my chance to meet one in the flesh!” She got up from the cot and grabbed her swords in her bag, as well as a back scabbard for them. She placed the scabbard on her back, and holstered the swords in, making sure they were secure before turning back to Mando. “I’m ready.”  
  


Mando didn’t expect her to be so eager, seeing as she was still in a state of shock a few minutes ago. He didn’t mind though, he wanted to be done with this as soon as possible, to have answers. He got up from his crate, checked to make sure he had everything he needed, and grabbed the kid, putting him back in his bag. Less than two minutes later, they were making their way through the woods, attentive to every noise and shift around them. Mando didn’t know much about the Jedi, but he figured that if the Magistrate asked him to kill her, she must be dangerous. 

He was leading, Rae a few meters behind him, covering the rear. After a few minutes, they heard a loud noise close by and stopped. Mando hurried towards Rae, handing her the Child and signaling for her to stay behind while he investigated. He took a few steps forward and looked around, only to find one of the creatures they’d seen in the distance before.  
  


“False alarm.” He said without turning around to face Rae, whose expression went from relief to worry.

“Watch out!” She screamed as she saw a figure drop down from a tree, armed with two lightsabers, and attacking Mando.  
  


The fight was impressive, with Mando deflecting the lightsaber swings with his vambraces, showing the full power of beskar against such advanced weapons. At some point, he used his flamethrower, as well as his fibercord whip to trap her, but to no avail, as she used his attempted trap against him by jumping over a branch and making him swing in the air for a bit. She was  _ good _ . As she was about to jump him again, he pulled out his blaster and put a hand in front of him.  
  


“Ahsoka Tano! Bo-Katan sent me. We need to talk.” He said, his breath heavy from the fight.  
  


As he spoke, the Jedi’s gaze went from him to the Child, who was in Rae’s arms behind him. Her expression went from rage to curiosity when her eyes settled on the little green being, who looked at them both in confusion. Rae was mesmerized. She had heard so many stories about the Jedi, about their lightsabers, but she never thought she’d meet one in the flesh. Yet, here she was, face to face with one.   
  


“I hope it’s about him.” Ahsoka said as she walked towards the Child, her eyes still stuck on his. 

“It is.” Mando said behind her, holstering his blaster and walking to the Child as well.

“Can I hold him?” The Jedi asked now looking at Rae, her arms extended towards the kid. Rae could only nod vigorously, too impressed to say anything, and gave her the Child.   
  


Mando winced a little at the gesture, knowing it probably meant the end of his journey with the little green kid. But this was the Way. He knew it. Ahsoka cradled the kid in her arms and turned towards Mando.  
  


“I’m going to need some time alone with him if you don’t mind. We won’t go far, you can watch us if you want. I want to get to know him.” She said calmly, and Mando nodded.  
  


She went to sit on a rock under a nearby tree, settling the kid on another rock in front of her, and they just stared at each other in silence. Rae and Mando were a few meters back, watching intently and waiting as night fell on Corvus. After a while, the Mandalorian started pacing anxiously, stopping every once in a while to check if something had changed. But it never did. Rae was just sitting on a tree trunk, looking at the Jedi with a childlike wonder. She still couldn’t believe it. 

After what felt like an eternity to Mando, Ahsoka Tano stood up and picked up the Child, and together they walked to where Rae and Mando were waiting. She put him down on a rock between herself and Mando and sat next to him as Rae got up to join them.  
  


“Is he speaking? Do you understand him?” Din asked, wondering what the hell could’ve happened during this...whatever it was.

“In a way.” She answered with a nod. “Grogu and I can feel each other’s thoughts.”

“Grogu?” Rae asked with confusion, and the kid cooed, looking at her. 

“Yes. That’s his name.”

“Grogu.” Mando repeated, earning a little sound of recognition from the kid. 

“He was raised at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.” Ahsoka explained softly. “Many Masters trained him over the years. At the end of the Clone Wars when the Empire rose to power, he was hidden. Someone took him from the Temple. Then his memory becomes… dark. He seemed lost. Alone.” She paused for a little while and took a look at Mando. “I’ve only known one other being like this. A wise Jedi Master named Yoda.” At the mention of this name, the Child, Grogu, seemed to momentarily break from his almost sleep to look at Ahsoka, who smiled in return. “Can he still wield the Force?”

“You mean his powers?” Mando asked, still unsure of what the Force even was.

“The Force is what gives him his powers. It is an energy field created by all living things. To wield it takes a great deal of training and discipline.” Ahsoka described as Grogu was falling asleep.

“I’ve seen him do things I can’t explain. My task was to bring him to a Jedi.” 

“The Jedi Order fell a long time ago.” 

“So did the Empire, yet it still hunts him. He needs your help.” As Mando said these words, Rae’s head turned abruptly to look at him. That was one piece of information he conveniently didn’t tell her.

“Let him sleep. I’ll test him in the morning.”  
  


Mando nodded and got up to pick him up, before thanking Ahsoka and heading back towards the ship. Rae smiled to the Jedi and followed close behind Mando. The trip back to the ship was silent, except for Grogu’s occasional snores and the sounds of the forest around them. Once they were back and Grogu was in his hammock, Rae confronted Mando about  _ that _ information.  
  


“The Empire is still after him? Are you fucking kidding me?” She whisper-yelled not to wake the child, as Mando was putting his weapons in their compartment.

“I’m not kidding.” He said simply, not really understanding why that was an issue to her.

“And you were planning on telling me when?”

“I wasn’t planning on telling you. I didn’t think it mattered to you.”

“Of course it matters to me, I’m an ex-rebel! The Empire wants people like me dead and buried so yeah, it fucking matters!” Her tone rose a little as anger washed over her. 

“I...I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d be so…” Mando trailed, turning to look at her. She was fuming. Her cheeks were red, her eyebrows more furrowed than he’d ever seen before. If looks could kill, he would’ve died a thousand times already.

“I told you I used to be with the Rebels, you could’ve mentioned you’re running from the  _ fucking Empire _ !” She was full-on screaming now.

“Can you please lower your voice?” Mando asked between his teeth, also getting angry at the way she was speaking to him. “I said I’m sorry.”

“Sorry. For speaking loudly, not for the rest.” Rae sighed, lowering her voice back to soft speaking. “Do you know why the Empire wants Grogu?”

“Not exactly. Has something to do with his blood…they want to do experiments with it, I think. All I know for sure is that Moff Gideon will not give up searching for him.” Rae froze when Mando said this name.  _ Moff Gideon _ . She let out a loud shuddering breath and felt her legs weaken a little, which Mando noticed.

“You okay?”

“No. I’m not fucking okay. Moff Gideon. Is looking. For you.” She said very slowly, her eyes burning into Mando’s visor. 

“Look, if you’re not happy with this situation, you’re free to get off the ship and go your own way, I don’t care. I don’t need you.” Mando said, the anger vivid in his voice.   
  


He felt his heart tighten in his chest when he said these words. He didn’t mean them. He didn’t want her to leave. He _ did  _ care, and for some reason, he  _ did _ need her around. But he always did that when he was angry, he said things he didn’t necessarily mean, and then he regretted it, but his pride and his reserved nature prevented him from saying sorry. So for now, he was just staring at Rae, anxiously waiting for a reaction, a word. She looked both enraged and hurt, and it made his heart tighten even more, knowing  _ he _ probably hurt her feelings. She let out a scoff, her eyes still glued to Mando’s visor, and to his dismay, she didn’t do or say anything else. She stayed like this, staring at him, waiting. Probably waiting for him to apologize, which he didn’t do. After a few minutes, she scoffed again and nodded in anger, her eyes falling from his to the floor, and she looked genuinely sad.   
  


“Fine. I guess this is goodbye, then.” She went to get her bag, checked that everything was in there, stopped to place a small kiss on one of Grogu’s hands, opened the hatch, and left.

  
  



	7. Chapter 7: The Liberation (pt. 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mando and Ahsoka come to an agreement, Rae realizes she can't really do anything without Mando, plans are being made and feelings are being felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry it took so long to post again, but I have a good excuse.  
> This chapter was LONG. Like really long. It took forever to write it, and I had to rework it so a cut would make sense.  
> Anyways, here's part one of Chapter 7: The Liberation! Part two should be posted next week if everything goes according to plan.  
> Specific tags for this chapter: fluff and feelings!!!!!!  
> Thank you and enjoy!

Rae was walking away from the ship when she heard the hatch close behind her. She stopped and turned around to look at the Crest, and a saddened sigh escaped her lips. Leaving the ship wasn’t something she necessarily did want to do, but she couldn’t stay around with the Empire looking for them. It was way too dangerous for her as an ex-Rebel. And the fact that it was Moff Gideon who was looking for Grogu...no, she just couldn’t stay. But it didn’t make her happy to leave. She had become attached to little Grogu. And to Mando, too, even though she didn’t really want to admit it to herself. She was kinda hoping that he would apologize, so when he didn’t, she felt something shifting in her chest. Then, she hoped he would stop her when she was packing or come running after her once she left, but he didn’t. He didn’t care. He didn’t need her.

So now she found herself out in the woods, in the middle of the night, with no idea where to go or what to do. She mindlessly started walking towards the city, hoping that the guards would let her in and that she would find a place to sleep for the night. After a few minutes of walking, she found herself in front of the city gates, which was guarded by one of the masked scouts she saw patrolling the city earlier.   
  


“What do you want?” The guard asked with defiance.

“I need to find a place to stay the night.”

“Why?”

“Just...please open the gates? I won’t talk to anyone, I just want to sleep.” Rae pleaded with despair in her voice.  
  


The guard turned and left for a bit, and Rae thought she was going to have to sleep in the woods when he showed up again after a minute or two.   
  


“A guard will escort you to a room. It’ll cost you 45 credits.”

“Okay.” She sighed, relieved, preparing the credits as the gates opened.  
  


She walked into the city and was greeted by another masked guard, who immediately extended his hand. She gave him the credits reluctantly and he stopped for a minute to count them. Once he was done counting, he motioned her to follow him with his head and started walking towards what looked like an inn. When they walked in, Rae looked around to take in the state of the place. The room was empty, with a bar running along the right wall and some tables and chairs scattered around. Behind the bar were dusty bottles and glasses, showing that this place hadn’t been used in a long time. The guard walked towards the left side of the room and up a staircase, and Rae followed. The first floor was just as bare and empty as the ground floor. The guard led her to a door and opened it, showing a simple room with a double bed, two side tables, a dresser, and a door that led to a simple bathroom. Once Rae put her bag on the bed, the guard went back to the door and turned to look at her.  
  


“There will be guards around the inn and at your door all night. If you try to go anywhere, they’ll bring you to the Magistrate, and you won’t like what she’ll do.”  
  


Rae nodded, too tired to care about anything, and the guard walked out the door, leaving her alone in the room with her thoughts. She went to the bathroom to take a very long shower, her first real one since she left Nevarro. The water was warm at first but got colder as the minutes went by. This day was certainly not the relief she had hoped for. When she got out of the shower, she took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. She had bags under her eyes and the color in her hair was fading. She went to her bag to grab something and then back to the mirror. She opened the tube of brown hair dye and applied it to her hair, waiting for a few minutes and washing it off when it had taken. When she looked back in the mirror, her blue and purple hair had turned to a dark brown, closer to her natural hair color. It had been years since she saw herself with her natural hair. She stared at herself for a few minutes before putting her nightclothes on and heading to the bed. She sat on it and reached for the bottle of Jawa juice in her bag, taking sip after sip until it was empty. She fell asleep on top of the bed covers, with the empty bottle in her hand.

She was awakened by the light of the sun coming through the curtains of the single window in the room, landing right on her face. Her head was throbbing and she was cold, due to the way she had fallen asleep the night before. Instead of getting up, she decided to stay in bed for a little while, but under the covers this time. She didn’t want to have to think about what she was going to do next, but she didn’t sleep much anyway and was up after two hours. She washed her face, prepared herself a food ration, and ate a little while reluctantly making a plan for the future. Calodan didn’t seem to have a spaceport and she didn’t see any kind of ship around, meaning she would probably be stuck there if she didn’t go with the Mandalorian. And she definitely didn’t want to stay in this place with the Magistrate and her guards oppressing and torturing the people of the town. She thought about helping them and getting rid of the tyrants, but she realized she couldn’t do it alone. In short, every single idea and thought she had brought her back to Mando.   
  


“Damnit.” She muttered to herself at the realization.  
  


She changed into her grey long-sleeved undershirt and black t-shirt, put on her black pants and her boots, and decided to head out to clear her head. When she reached the door of the building, she tentatively opened it and peeked outside to see if the guards were still there. When she saw that the way was clear, she walked out, headed towards the gates, and left the city.

After a few minutes, she was back at the Crest. She started pacing in front of the hatch, figuring out a way to apologize to Mando. Once she had a speech prepared, she knocked on the hatch and waited for a response that never came. She then remembered that he had to take Grogu to the Jedi to see if he could be trained and that it would probably take a while. So, she sat on a nearby tree trunk and waited. 

After a few hours, Mando arrived at the ship with Ahsoka, the kid in his bag. They were talking, seemingly making a plan for something, and he didn’t notice Rae at first. It was only when she got up from her tree that he saw her and stopped in his tracks.  
  


“Hey.” Rae said with a shy smile. “Can we talk?”

“Hi.” Mando hesitated a few moments before taking Grogu in his arms and handing him to Ahsoka. “Can you go wait in the ship?” Ahsoka nodded, understanding, and headed toward the ship, opening the hatch and disappearing in the hold.

“Look, Mando, about yesterday… I owe you an-”

“Stop.” Mando interrupted, leaving Rae in a state of worry. “You don’t have to apologize. I should’ve told you about the Empire.” Rae eased a bit, liking that he acknowledged his fault about that. 

“Thank you.”   
  


Silence filled the space between them after she spoke. Rae’s prepared speech had disappeared and Mando was just not used to having this type of conversation. After what felt like forever, they both started talking at the same time and apologized, becoming silent again.  
  


“I made a deal with the Jedi.” Mando started after another few minutes, earning a look of slight confusion from Rae. “She’ll train Grogu after I help her free the city.” Rae nodded, not quite getting where he was trying to go. “I...I know I said you could stay on the Crest until the kid was safe with a Jedi, but…” He paused for a moment. “There’s nothing here. No spaceport, no ship... and you’re a mechanic. So I thought maybe I could take you someplace else, you know. After all of this is done.”   
  


Rae was a bit surprised at his offer, but not in a bad way. She thought about her plan again when she was waiting for him and Grogu, and she decided she didn’t want to stay here even if the city was free. But she wasn’t sure if Mando would allow her to stay on the Crest with him after their argument. After what he said. The fact that he was the one who offered, without her saying anything about it, took her aback a little bit, but mostly it warmed her heart. Maybe he did care, after all.  
  


“You wouldn’t mind having me around a few more days?” Rae asked to be sure his offer was sincere and not just a way to make himself feel better about what he said the night before.

“No. Not at all. The kid will be gone and I…” He paused and cleared his throat. “I still need someone to replace my hyperdrive.” The comment made Rae laugh, and the sound brought a smile to Mando’s lips. 

“Okay. I accept your offer, then.”   
  


Rae extended her hand towards him and he took it, shaking it softly. They both lingered in the gesture a little longer than needed, and when Rae retracted her hand, Mando fought the urge to take it back. They headed towards the Crest’s cargo hold, where Ahsoka was sat on a crate, Grogu in her arms. Rae tossed her bag near the fresher and turned to face the Jedi, while Mando grabbed Grogu and put him in his hammock before closing the door to the cot.  
  


“So. Mando here said you were planning to take the city back from the Magistrate?” Rae asked Ahsoka, trying to sound normal although her brain still couldn’t comprehend how she was speaking to an actual Jedi.

“Yes. He agreed to help me. Why?”

“I want to help, too.” Rae declared, her voice confident, which made Ahsoka smile.

“Good. The more, the merrier, right?”

“Exactly.” Rae agreed, sitting on a crate in front of Ahsoka. “So, what do I need to know about this Magistrate?”

“Her name’s Morgan Elsbeth. She’s one of the people responsible for the creation of the Imperial Starfleet. She destroyed many worlds, massacred people…”

“So basically she’s a vile asshole. Got it.” Rae recapped, feeling her anger mounting at the mention of Elsbeth’s pedigree. Ahsoka couldn’t help but smirk at the words Rae used. 

“Yes, that’s her.”

“She has a rather small army and two battle droids helping her control the town, with her main gunslinger being the guard that opened the doors for us yesterday. We should be able to take them all down.” Mando added while looking around his weapons locker. “We made a plan on how we’ll enter the city, but you’re not a part of it, since I thought…”

“Don’t worry, I get it. Tell me what the plan is, I’ll figure out a way to get in after.”   
  


Mando and Ahsoka explained their plan to Rae, detailing how Ahsoka was going to deceive the guard into thinking Mando was dead to get to the Magistrate, while Mando would intervene later to take the guards by surprise. Rae listened carefully. The whole operation reminded her of the ones she had taken a part in during her time with the Rebels. One in particular, where she helped free a village from Imperial occupation and tyranny. She never thought she’d take part in one of those kinds of missions ever again, but here she was. And as much as she hated to say it, she missed the thrill of it. The feeling of doing something important, necessary. Of being helpful. Of making a difference in the Galaxy. When Ahsoka and Mando finished explaining the plan, the three of them started to make propositions on how they could get Rae within the city walls.   
  


“Mando could carry you and fly in with you.” Ahsoka suggested. Although secretly neither Rae nor Mando disliked that idea, it was decided that it would be too complex for Mando to fly while carrying someone, especially when he had to be quick on his feet when he landed.

“You could come running towards the city before Ahsoka comes into view, pretending she’s chasing you and asking them to open the gates.” This time it was Mando who made a proposition.

“They won’t let me in and it’ll ruin the element of surprise.” Rae concluded, and silence settled in the hold as they were thinking. “Okay, I got something. Mando, you got explosives right?” She said after a few minutes.

“Yes, I do. Why?” Mando asked with worry.

“Once Ahsoka’s done with the scouts, I’ll set up explosives in front of the gates. I’ll blow them up when you land in the town.” Rae explained, pretty satisfied with her plan. Mando and Ahsoka didn’t seem as enthusiastic as her, though. “Come on guys! It’s the only plan that’ll actually work _and_ it’ll look cool.”

“The point of this operation is to liberate the town, not destroy it.” Ahsoka reasoned although she didn’t have any other idea.

“I spent a lot of time tinkering with explosives back in my Rebel days, I know exactly how much of them I’ll need and it’ll only damage the gates enough to open them.” Rae tried to convince them. “Look, I know it seems risky, but you gotta trust me on this.”

“Okay.” Mando said almost immediately after she was done talking.   
  


Ahsoka turned her head towards him, with an expression that said “are you sure about this?”. Mando nodded and Ahsoka soon followed. It was decided. They went over the plan one last time together before Ahsoka left the ship with Mando’s beskar shoulder pad.

Mando was not completely sold on Rae’s plan to blow up the gates, unsure it would even work with his explosives. But she asked them to trust her, so he did. It was also the way he had found to show her that he didn’t mean what he said the previous night. While Rae was fiddling with the explosives outside of the ship, Mando was making sure he had all the weapons he needed. He also checked on the kid, who was still awake, and explained to him what they were going to do so he wouldn’t panic when they left. Although she was outside, Rae could still hear Mando when he was speaking to Grogu. The way he was speaking - using very simple words, his voice soft and slow - made her heart flutter and her lips form into an unconscious smile. There was something deeply endearing about a man with such a tough exterior, a man of few words, a man whose presence sparked fear and apprehension, being so caring and gentle with a little being like Grogu. And although Rae had seen him extend some of that care to her a few times, it was nothing compared to his behavior when he was tending to the child. And Rae liked that. A lot. 

Deciding she was done adjusting the explosives, Rae packed them up neatly and carefully before entering the ship and making some food. They needed to wait until nighttime to attack, to ensure their plan would work perfectly, and they had some time to kill before then. Rae ate slowly and silently, focused on their upcoming task, while Mando was feeding Grogu, who was starting to fall asleep. After some time, Rae unexpectedly broke the silence.  
  


“I know you said I don’t have to but I still want to apologize for yesterday. I shouldn’t have freaked out like that and yelled. I’m sorry, Mando.” She said simply, not wanting to make it more dramatic than it needed to be. “All that shit with the Empire...it’s personal to me. I’ve seen what they do to people like me, who took part in the Rebellion. It’s really fucking ugly. So when you said that stuff about the Empire looking for Grogu to Ahsoka, I...I spent the whole way back to the ship imagining what would happen if they found you. Found me.” Rae continued, and Mando listened carefully, happy to have yet another glimpse of Rae’s thoughts and past. “It scared me. And it made me mad. And I tried to stop my anger and my fear from getting the better of me, but then you mentioned Moff Gideon and I just-” Rae cut herself off, feeling an intense wave of rage washing over her when she said _his_ name. “I shouldn’t have let my personal shit and my rage out on you. I’m sorry.”

“I told you, it’s okay.”

“It’s not. I know I’m impulsive and bad with my rage but I’m trying to control it, sometimes I just...can’t. I don’t wanna be like this around people I care about.” She added, her head hanging low and her brows furrowed in guilt. Mando put Grogu’s bowl aside and walked over to Rae, crouching in front of her so his face was at the same level as hers. He gently put his right hand under her chin, lifting it a bit to get her to look at him.

“Don’t chastise yourself for being a human being, Rae. Rage is a powerful emotion, and we all have trouble controlling it. That fact that you’re aware of that and that you’re trying makes you a better person than most.”   
  


Although Rae couldn’t see it, his eyes were looking right into hers, tender and reassuring behind the visor. Din couldn’t really explain why he felt so compelled to care for Rae. Why he felt so attached to her after only a week. He wasn’t usually like this with women, preferring to stay neutral and distant to protect them and himself. He wasn’t really one for commitment. But there was something about her, about the way she was, about her determination, her anger, her softness with the kid...It attracted him like a magnet, and although he managed to repress most of his urges to touch her, to laugh with her, to tell her everything about him, sometimes the pull was just too much. It didn’t help that he found her gorgeous, too. She was pretty, but her beauty had an edge to it. He could see the things she went through on her face, on her arms, her hands...Like every scar told a story. He also liked the way she talked, without filter, as if she was just saying exactly what was going through her mind all the time. It was refreshing to him. Sometimes he wished he was like that, too. She made him want to work on that. And he was trying, but he knew it would take time. So, for now, he was trying to get there with gestures, head movements, small things that could show a little bit of what he was thinking and how he felt, like he was doing now. At first, he wasn’t really sure it was working since Rae didn’t seem to have a reaction. It took a few seconds for her to relax in his touch and for her lips to shape into a thankful smile.  
  


“Why are you so nice to me?” She asked, hints of sadness and genuine disbelief in her tone. 

“Why wouldn’t I be? You’re a great person.”   
  


The words came out of Mando’s mouth without him thinking about them much. Rae’s smile widened, and she looked at him without saying anything for a while, before wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him. The gesture surprised him, and he just stood there without moving for a moment. It had been a while since someone hugged him, and he had forgotten how good it felt. Once he regained his senses, he slowly wrapped his arms around her waist and closed his eyes, leaning into her touch. When she felt his armor surround her middle, she did the same and let her head rest on his armorless shoulder, softly humming his scent and gently stroking the back of his fabric-covered neck. She still didn’t quite understand or know why he wouldn’t take off his helmet or show some skin from time to time, but she assumed he had his reasons, and she respected them, whatever they were. Still, she wished she could feel the skin at the back of his neck, let her fingers play with the hair she imagined was there. 

They stayed like this for a while, losing themselves to the affectionate gesture, losing track of time. It was only the sound of Grogu crying that pulled them out of this bubble they had made. They separated slowly, Rae’s gaze lingering on Din’s helmet for a minute, while his eyes were fixated on her lips. They got up at the same time, both walking towards Grogu, until Rae took Mando’s hand, stopping him in his tracks.   
  


“I’ll take care of it, you need to eat.” She said softly, letting go of his hand and taking the last few steps to get to Grogu.  
  


She took him in her arms, rocking him and stroking his head to calm him down. Mando watched, a part of his mind still stuck in the bubble. Noticing he hadn’t moved, Rae turned back towards him and motioned to the third bowl of broth with her head.  
  


“Eat. I got it.”   
  


Mando nodded and grabbed his bowl, heading to the ladder. He stopped again while at the base, taking one last look at Rae and his foundling, before climbing up to the cockpit. Once there, he sat in his seat and closed the door, set his bowl aside, and removed his helmet. He looked at himself in the reflection of the beskar and noticed his cheeks were flushed. It had been a long time since he saw himself like this. He thought again about what made him like this, about the hug, about her, and smiled unconsciously. He set his helmet on the control panel and took his bowl, eating slowly, his thoughts consumed by the feeling of Rae’s fingers on the back of his fabric-covered neck.


	8. Chapter 8: The Liberation (pt. 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mando, Ahsoka and Rae execute their plan. Mando is confused and worried, Rae renews with the art of fighting, and Ahsoka delivers news that changes Mando's plans for the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So here's part two of The Liberation. It's a long one, so brace for that!  
> If you like (badly written) action sequences, hurt/comfort/fluff and feelings, this one's for you!  
> Hope you enjoy and thank you for reading :)

Mando was back down in the hold about 10 minutes later, helmet on his head and ready for the assault on Calodan. Rae was still rocking Grogu, who had since then fallen asleep. When she heard Mando walking towards her, she gently put the child in his hammock and kissed his head before shutting the door to the cot. She grabbed her bag, which was still on the floor near the fresher, and pulled out her swords as well as her scabbard, putting it on and storing the blades in it. She turned towards Mando, who had been watching her silently, and let out a small breath.  
  


“Are we ready to go?”

“Almost.” Mando said, turning around and opening his weapons locker. He grabbed a blaster and an extra holster and handed it to Rae. “There.”

“I don’t need this.”

“These guards are armed to the teeth. Better safe than sorry.” He said, extending his hand further. Rae looked at the weapon for a moment before grabbing it with a sigh.

“Fine.”   
  


She adjusted the holster on her waist, Mando watching closely as she did so, and holstered the blaster in safely.  
  


“Now we’re ready.”  
  


Mando walked towards the hatch, followed by Rae, and closed it once they were both out of the ship. Rae walked to where she had left the explosives she had prepared and took them carefully, and soon they were walking in the woods, hiding and waiting for Ahsoka to start the fight. They didn’t wait long, as a few minutes later, they heard the large bell that served as an alarm ring in the distance, signaling that Ahsoka had arrived. They walked closer to the city, careful to stay out of sight, and heard the guards’ screams get louder as they approached. They were now hidden behind a large tree, right in front of the gates, and once Rae saw that the Jedi had taken out all the guards on the fortification wall, she started going towards the gates. She felt Mando’s hand grab her wrist right as she left, and turned towards him.  
  


“Please be careful, Rae.” He said, almost pleading, a hint of worry in his voice.

“Don’t worry, I always am.” She said with a small smile to reassure him, although she knew full well it was a lie. She tended to be reckless in situations like these, but Mando didn’t need to know that.  
  


He eased his grip on her wrist just enough for her to slide it out of his hand, and soon enough, she was running to the gates. Mando let out a loud sigh as he watched her run, hoping everything would go according to plan. He was already going to lose the child, he didn’t want to lose her, too.

Once at the gates, Rae didn’t waste any time pulling out the explosives and setting them up against the gates, listening to what was going on on the other side. She heard Ahsoka speaking, as well as the voice of the Magistrate, faint but still there. When she identified the words Ahsoka had set as their signal, she gave Mando a thumbs up and watched as he lifted off in the air, triggering the explosives as she did. She took cover further down the city walls and braced herself for the explosion. A few seconds later, a loud boom echoed all around the city and within the walls, and she took advantage of the smoke the blow had generated to run through the gate that blew open. She heard blaster fire near the Magistrate’s palace, where Mando was, and as much as she wanted to run there to help him, she decided to stick to the plan and took to the narrow streets, hiding in the shadows and hunting the guards. She heard some of their screams resonate in the alleys, and knew that Ahsoka was taking them out one by one. She didn’t let that faze her though and stayed focused on everything around her. 

Soon enough, she found herself face to face with two guards, who fired at her relentlessly, and pulled out her sabers. One of the benefits of having beskar swords, though, was that the blades could counter blaster fire, and even bounce it away. She advanced towards them, focused on where they were firing so she could deflect the blasts, and it didn’t take her long to close the distance between them. Once she was too close for them to aim and fire at her, she swiftly and expertly stabbed one of the guards right in the heart, and slit the other’s throat. Then, everything around her reverted to quiet and eerie. She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and continued making her way through the alleys, urging the few civilians she encountered to get inside. 

A few moments later, she heard footsteps behind her, shortly followed by blaster fire. She didn’t even have time to turn around that one of the blasts grazed her left shoulder, wounding her there. She immediately gave up on facing them head-on and ducked behind a nearby half-wall made of a stone similar to the one used in the fortification wall. She crouched, taking a moment to look at her wound, wincing in pain. She had forgotten how bad blaster fire hurt. She tried to come up with an action plan, but the sound of blasters firing behind her, hitting the half-wall she was hiding behind, combined with the sharp pain in her shoulder, made it harder for her to concentrate. She could tell the guards were approaching, and that didn’t help either. In a sudden surge of energy, she grabbed one of her words by the handle, blade straight forward, stood up, and hurled it on one of the guards, who dropped dead when it stuck in his chest. The movement was enough to distract the other guy, and she used the split second of inattention from him to jump over the low wall and throw herself towards him, stabbing him in the throat. She then picked up her swords, wiped the blades on the dead men’s clothes, and resumed her progress through the streets.

Her feeling of triumph didn’t last very long, though, as she quickly found herself attacked by one of the battle droids. The machine was hidden in the shadows and grabbed her as she walked past, lifting her in the air and throwing her against a building. She screamed in both shock and fear, and let out a loud yelp of pain when her back hit the hard stone, her sounds resonating within the town, earning Mando’s worry as he was holding off the gunslinger. She somehow found the strength to get herself off the dirty ground, standing to face the droid, who had come in front of her. In her astonishment, she hadn’t even noticed that her swords slid from her hands, and it was only when she lifted an arm to strike the droid that she realized she was empty-handed. The droid grabbed her arm and used it to pull Rae towards him in a violent move, using his other hand to strangle her, lifting her by her throat. She struggled, grabbed at the droid’s mechanical hand, tried to get out of his grasp, to no avail. She felt herself get more and more light-headed, her vision getting blurrier by the second, until one last thought traveled her mind.  _ The blaster.  _ Using the last bit of energy she had in herself, she grabbed the blaster at her waist and raised it to the droid’s chest, firing almost immediately. The droid then went as limp as a robot can go and dropped to the ground, Rae falling with him. She was now on all fours on the floor, spitting and coughing like she had never coughed before, tears welling up her eyes.  _ That was a close one _ , she thought as she regained her composure. 

When some of her strength came back, she managed to get herself on her feet, grab her swords, and walk towards the Magistrate’s palace. As she got closer, she heard the gunslinger talking to someone, Mando she assumed, and quickly after, a blaster shot. Worry washed over her as the adrenaline left in her brain kicked in and made her run to the origin of the shot. When she finally reached the main street, her swords in her hands just in case, her eyes landed on a dead body on the ground. She raised her head to look at the shooter and let out a relieved breath at the sight of Mando. She smiled as she walked towards him, trying to look okay when her entire body was screaming in pain as the adrenaline slowly left her brain.   
  


“Holy shit, I am so happy to see you.” She said, letting out a breathy laugh, immediately regretting it when she felt a sharp pain running through her ribs and another in her throat.

“Are you alright?” Mando asked as he caught sight of her bruised throat and her wounded shoulder. “You're hurt.”   
  


His hand shot to grab her arm and he got closer to have a better look at the wound. Her skin was raw, the flesh scorched and exposed. He then took a look at her throat, his fingers gently tracing the bruises left by the droid. Rae involuntarily winced in pain. The droid squeezed her throat with extreme force, and even the tiniest graze triggered an immense ache.  
  


“We need to...”

“Where's Ahsoka?” Rae asked to change the subject, not wanting to think about her pain too much.

“She's still in the palace. Are you hurt anywhere else?” Mando was obviously worried about her and not wanting to let it go.

“Do you think she needs help?”

“Rae, answer me.”

“I’m good, don't worry.”   
  


She smiled and walked towards the palace. Just as she reached the door, it shot open in front of her and revealed Ahsoka, the Magistrate’s body lying lifeless on the floor behind her. The villagers were carefully walking out of their homes to look at the state of their city. Smiled slowly crept on their faces as they realized the Magistrate and her army were dead, and that the city was finally theirs again. Ahsoka and Rae smiled at each other as the villagers celebrated their freedom. Mando wanted to smile, too, but couldn’t help thinking about Rae’s well being. She had obviously been roughed up during her fights, and clearly needed medical attention. But she didn’t seem to care about that much, and that frustrated him. He decided to take matters into his own hands and walked over to the man he had talked to a few times, asking him if anyone in the city knew how to tend wounds and if there was a medical station anywhere. The man answered that the only medical equipment had been confiscated by the Magistrate and moved to the palace, along with the town’s only medical droid. He added that the few people with extensive medical knowledge had either been killed or disappeared. Mando thanked the man and walked over to Rae, who was now being thanked by a woman and her daughter. He cleared his throat when intruding the conversation, and the citizens left shortly after.  
  


“It’s impolite to interrupt a conversation, you know?” Rae teased.

“There’s a medical droid and equipment in the palace.”

“Okay...and?”

“And you’re obviously not as fine as you pretend to be. You need medical attention.” Mando stated matter-of-factly, trying to not let his worry take over. Rae just sighed in response. “Now, Rae. You could be badly hurt.”

“Okay, okay, fine! I’ll go get a check-up.”

“I’ll take you.”  
  


Mando grabbed Rae’s hand, holding it tightly, and they both started walking to the palace. When they stepped into the yard, Rae was both amazed and disgusted by the beauty and the serenity of the place. There were healthy trees, ponds, even fish… It was a stark contrast to the desolation of the rest of the planet and the cold of the city. The inside gave her the same feeling. The floor was clean, without an ounce of dirt on it, the space was large and open… It was all very pretty. None of them said anything as Mando was looking around for the medical room and Rae just took in the beauty of each of the rooms they entered. It took Mando around five minutes to finally find the medical equipment, along with the medical droid. The room was almost entirely filled with therapeutic machines and supplies, save for a large bed in the center. The shelves were filled with bacta sprays, bombs, and patches, along with bandages, disinfectants, syringes, gauze, gloves... The sound of the robotic voice took Rae out of her observation.  
  


“Have you paid the necessary credits to get medical care?” 

“Sorry?” Mando asked in confusion.

“To have access to medical care, you have to pay 250 credits per person. Orders from the Magistrate.” The droid clarified.

“The Magistrate is dead.” Mando announced, and the droid seemed to be somewhat relieved. 

“What can I do for you then?”

“Can you please check that she’s okay?”

“Sure, what happened to you?” The droid turned to Rae, who sighed and showed her shoulder.

“Blaster shot grazed my shoulder, but it still burns pretty badly.” She then pointed at her back. “A droid tossed me against a wall, which I hit with my back before falling miserably to the ground and hurting my ribs.” Her finger moved to her ribs, then to her neck. “Then, he dangled me in the air by my throat and strangled me in the process.” She offered the droid a weak smile and felt Mando’s gaze stuck to her. “But I’m okay, I swear!”

“That’s for me to determine. Sit on the bed please.”  
  


Rae did as the droid asked her and sat on the bed with a groan, realizing that her legs were hurting, too. The droid ran an analysis of Rae’s entire body, then picked up a bacta patch and applied it to the wound on her shoulder. Next, he reached for some cream and gently applied it to Rae’s bruises. She winced in pain when she felt his metal hands on her sore skin, and soon felt Mando’s bare hand take hers. She looked up at him with a shy smile and mouthed a “thank you” as his thumb brushed the back of her hand. Once he was done applying the cream, the droid handed Rae some pills and a glass of water.  
  


“These will help with the pain in your back, your ribs, your legs, and your throat. Tomorrow I’ll analyze you again and see if there’s something else I can do to help since nothing’s broken.”

“What’s the cream you put on my throat?”

“Bacta, just like the patch on your shoulder. It’ll take the night for it to fully work, but it should ease the pain and slowly heal your wound.” The droid explained calmly as Rae nodded in acknowledgment. “You can sleep here tonight if you want. The bed is comfortable and I’ll be around if you need anything.”

“Thank you.” 

“No problem.” The droid said as he left the room to give Mando and Rae some privacy.  
  


Rae’s hand was still in Mando’s, his thumb gently glazing over the veins and the scars on the back of her hand. His visor was looking straight at their hands, and Rae was looking straight at him, a smile forming on her lips as she felt his thumb slowly tracing circles on her scars. She didn’t exactly know why he seemed so stuck on their hands, or even why he hadn’t stopped caressing her hand, but she didn’t mind. The touch was soothing and relaxing, and it helped her forget her pain. So she let him continue without saying anything, until he stopped on his own, a few minutes later.  
  


“I need to get back to the ship.” He said simply as he put his glove back on.

“Okay.” Rae answered, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

“To check on Grogu. Make sure he’s okay.” Mando added, feeling the need to justify his departure to her.

“I understand.”

“So that he doesn’t sleep alone.” Mando’s eyes finally moved to her face and he saw her close her eyes and nod. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning. I promise.”

“Okay.”   
  


Rae opened her eyes and looked down at her boots, reaching down with difficulty to untie them. Mando noticed her grimace of pain as she bent to take them off and kneeled in front of her, untied her boots, and gently slid them off her feet before looking back at her. Her right hand came to rest on the right side of his helmet and Mando leaned into it discreetly. She placed a chaste kiss on where she imagined his left cheek would be and then put her face right in front of his, her eyes looking directly into his visor.   
  


“Thanks. For everything. Good night.” She gently removed her hand from his helmet and slowly placed her legs on the bed, flinching at every movement as she slid under the covers and rested her head on one of the pillows.   
  


Mando simply gave her a nod and exited the room, feeling his cheeks burning up. He walked out of the palace very quickly, wanting to get back to his ship and Grogu as soon as possible. He also wanted to be alone for a moment, to sort out all the feelings floating around his brain. As soon as he was out the gates to the palace’s yard, Ahsoka grabbed his arm and he turned to face her.  
  


“Good job out there.”

“Did my best. Will you train the kid now?”

“I will.” Mando felt his heart break a little as she confirmed that their deal was in full effect. “I’ll come to get Grogu tomorrow, at noon. Give you some time to say goodbye.”   
  


Mando nodded and thanked her, turning away to leave Calodan. When he closed the Crest’s hatch behind him, he heard some rumbling behind the closed door that led to the cot. He rushed to get there, worried that someone might've gotten into the ship and was with Grogu. He pressed the button to open the metallic door in a hurry, only to find the little green baby fumbling with the belongings Mando kept in the cot with him. He sighed, in both relief and annoyance, and took Grogu in his arms. The child cooed happily as his surrogate father held him, and touched his helmet with his three-fingered hand.  
  


“Yeah, I’m happy to see you too. I spoke with Ahsoka, and she's agreed to train you. She’ll pick you up tomorrow.” At these words, Grogu’s happiness faded into disappointment and sadness, and his hand fell from the beskar helmet to his side. “I know you're sad, but it’s the right thing for you.”   
  


Grogu let out a heartbreaking little noise in response and Mando felt like his heart was going to burst. He was doing his best to conceal his sadness, so that it would be easier for both of them to let go of each other. But deep down, he knew that no matter what he did, it would be extremely hard to accept that Grogu wouldn't be  _ his _ foundling anymore. Especially so soon after Ahsoka confirmed that the kid was attached to him. He thought about all of this while he and Grogu were looking at each other, knowing this would probably be the last night they’d share in the ship that had become a humble home for their clan of two. As he felt tears welling up his eyes, Mando put the child down on the floor and instructed him to behave, headed to the refresher, and locked the door behind him. He took off his helmet and looked at his face in the mirror. He looked tired, with dark circles under his eyes and a week-old stubble on his jaw. His cheeks were still red from the moment he shared with Rae at the palace, and he let out a sigh at the realization that he had feelings for her. And that was bad. 

Ever since he was sworn into the Creed, he’d only had feelings for one other person. A woman he met in the Death Watch, who died on a mission. The heartbreak he felt after she died was so painful that he swore he wouldn't let himself love again. After that, all the relationships he’d had were purely physical, and when he felt himself catching feelings, he either repressed them and became cold, or simply left. And that was fine by him. He didn't think about these relationships much anymore, and he didn't want to. But with Rae, the attraction had been almost instantaneous, and only seemed to grow the more time he spent around her. At first, he didn't think much of it as it was just physical. He thought she was pretty, and caught himself glancing at her form a few times. But after Tatooine, it became different. She started opening up, and she made jokes, and she took care of Grogu, and she made sure Mando ate every day, that he got enough sleep… and the purely physical attraction turned into infatuation. He tried to tell himself it was going to pass, that it was just the isolation, but it didn't. And it worried him. He could tell she liked him, so he wasn't really scared about it being one-sided. He was scared that the feelings would only grow from there and that he wouldn't be able to repress them any longer. He was scared that one day she’d decide to leave his side and that it would hurt. A lot. And as much as he didn't mind being hurt physically – it was a part of his upbringing after all – being hurt emotionally was something else entirely. But he couldn't help caring for her, touching her whenever he could, showing her that she would be okay and that he would protect her. The more he thought about her, the more the image of her became embedded in his brain, like an old stain that he wasn’t able to clean. 

Overwhelmed by all of this, he opened the faucet and splashed his face with cold water, hoping all of it would go away. He put his helmet back on and left the refresher, finding Grogu standing in front of it with a quizzical look on his face. He picked the baby up and gently rocked him in his arms, putting him back in his hammock before stepping into his cot. Once they were both in darkness, he took off his helmet again and proceeded to remove his armor, one piece after the other. He heard Grogu move around in his makeshift bed, knowing he was probably trying to get a look at him although the small room was plunged in total darkness. He stored his armor carefully on a shelf next to his bed, his movements precise and clean even in the obscurity. Finally, when he was just wearing his bare clothes, he set his head in his pillow and closed his eyes, hoping he’d manage to quiet his loud mind and get some sleep.

He was up and awake at around 11 AM, the sweet sound of Grogu’s snoring the only noise in the room. He mechanically put his armor back on, piece by piece, and once he was covered in beskar, he placed his helmet back over his face. The door opened with a slight hiss as he stepped out, making sure to be as quiet as possible for the sleeping kid over him. The door closed again and he waited a moment before opening the hatch and walking out of the Crest and to the city.

The mood around Calodan was very different, with people actually talking to each other and even saying hello to Mando as he walked by, others cleaning the streets and dragging the dead guards’ bodies near the gates. He kept walking to the palace, satisfaction washing over him as he saw children playing and their parents laughing. He was surprised to see villagers in the palace, walking around like they were visiting the place for the first time. He didn’t let it distract him and got to the room where Rae was. The medical droid was there, tending to a few people’s wounds and to children who looked weak and starved. Rae was still in bed, tucked under the covers with her eyes closed. He greeted the droid, gently sat on the bed, and caressed one of Rae’s cheeks softly with his index finger to wake her up.  
  


“Rise and shine.” He said softly.

“I’m awake, Mando.” She responded almost instantly, startling him a little. He removed his finger as Rae turned her head towards him. Her hair was a little disheveled, her eyes were half-closed and she had a small smirk on her lips.

“Sleep well?”

“Bold of you to assume I slept.” She said with a grunt as she sat up.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Well, my back and my ribs still hurt like a motherfucker but apart from that, yeah.”   
  


She kicked off the covers from over her and motioned for Mando to move as she swung her legs to the floor and tried to reach for her boots although bending still hurt. Mando saw that and crouched to get them, putting them back on her feet and tying them. Once he was done, he stood back up and gave her his hand to help her do the same. She took it with a smile and once up, she walked over to the droid, explaining that she was still in pain and asking for another scan. The droid proceeded and told her that there wasn’t much he could do since nothing was broken. He gave her some more painkillers and instructed her to rest and take it easy for a few days, and that the pain would pass on its own. She took the pills and thanked him, turning back to Mando.  
  


“Where to?”

“I need to find Ahsoka, she said she’d pick up Grogu at noon.”

“Oh. So he’s really staying with her, huh?” Rae asked with a hint of sadness.

“It’s the right thing to do.” Mando simply answered, taking the lead and walking out the room.  
  


Rae followed him out of the palace and into the main street. She started laughing when she saw people happily walking around the streets and talking to each other.  
  


“We did this. We did this!” She exclaimed, tears of joy bubbling in her eyes. “Holy shit. We did this.” She stopped, looking around Calodan in awe, and Mando stopped as well to look at her. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her being so happy and proud. She eventually looked back at him and wiped her tears. “Was well worth the pain.” She took a deep breath and started walking again, while Mando watched her greet the villagers.   
  


He let out a small laugh as she caught a child who tripped on his lace and took a moment to dwell in the surrounding happiness. His moment of bliss faded as he saw Ahsoka at the gates, the beskar staff that Elsbeth had promised him in hand. He walked over to her slowly, passing Rae as she spoke to a woman. She stayed focused on her conversation, only glancing over at Mando and Ahsoka a few times until she saw him leave towards the ship. She excused herself and jogged over to Ahsoka, who was now talking to the man whom Rae and Mando had met two days before. The man left when she arrived, giving her a smile which she returned. Ahsoka placed her hand on Rae’s shoulder.  
  


“I didn’t have the chance to thank you for your help yesterday. You did well.”

“Thank you. I did what I could.”

“We wouldn’t have done it without you, Rae.” She said with a thankful nod. There was a moment of silence, and Ahsoka looked to the forest. “Your Mandalorian friend went to get the child, but I think he might’ve gotten lost along the way. Walk with me?” 

“Sure.” And so Rae and Ahsoka started walking towards the Crest together. Rae was intimidated and also very curious. She had about a million questions she wanted to ask the Jedi, and she wondered whether now was a good time. 

“I sense a lot of confusion in you. Are you okay?” Ahsoka said, interrupting her thoughts.

“Yes, I just…” She paused and decided that now definitely was the time. “I have so many questions to ask you… my parents told me stories about the Jedi when I was a child, they told me that they were all dead so I’m wondering… how are you not?” She asked quietly, scared that her question would hurt or anger Ahsoka. The Jedi took a moment before answering.

“I left the Jedi order soon before it fell. I was almost killed during the offensive against the Jedi but… I had a good friend who helped out.”

“I’m sorry I asked, I just… I was convinced you were all dead. So when I saw you, with your lightsabers, which are awesome by the way, I was sorta confused, you know? But glad that you managed to survive. I wish more Jedi had the same chance, maybe then things would’ve been...different.” She said sadly, looking down at her feet.

“Mando mentioned you used to be a Rebel?”

“Yes. Joined at 12, stayed until…” She paused, her words getting caught in her throat. “Until the Great Purge on Mandalore.”

“Why did you leave?”

“It was getting painful seeing the people I love, my friends, innocent people, dying. Became too much.”   
  


Ahsoka nodded in understanding and they kept walking in silence, until they finally reached the Crest. They could see Mando inside, sitting on a crate with Grogu, and Rae felt her heart break a little at the sight. She felt a great sadness overtake her at the thought that it would be the last time she’d see Grogu, and couldn’t imagine what it must’ve been like for Mando. When the Mandalorian became aware of the women’s presence, he stood up and adjusted Grogu’s cloak, before stepping out with the kid in his arms. Rae decided it was probably better to stay back and give them room to talk.  
  


“You’re like a father to him.” Ahsoka’s words made Mando stop in his tracks for a second. “I cannot train him.” Mando stopped again.

“You made me a promise, and I held up my end.” Ahsoka closed the gap between her and the armored man as the child cooed. She took his little hand in hers and gently stroked it with her thumb.

“There is one possibility. Go to the planet Tython, there you will find the ruins of an old Jedi temple that has a strong connection to the Force. Place Grogu on the seeing stone at the top of the mountain.” Mando listened carefully to Ahsoka’s instructions, his gaze traveling from the kid to the Jedi.

“Then what?”

“Then Grogu may choose his path. If he reaches out through the Force, there’s a chance a Jedi may sense his presence and come searching for him.” She paused and crossed her arms. “Then again, there aren’t many Jedi left.” She shared a saddened look with Grogu.

“Thank you.”

“May the Force be with you.”   
  


Mando looked at Rae and motioned for her to come along as he turned back to the ship. She hurried behind him, slowing down near Ahsoka to whisper a simple “thank you, may the force be with you”. The Jedi smiled as she watched them enter the ship. Then the hatch closed and the engines roared, and she took a step back as the Crest took off. 

Rae sat behind Mando’s chair, Grogu in her arms, and asked him where they were off to now. He explained what Ahsoka had a few minutes earlier, and she looked down at the little green baby in her arms, softly tracing along one of his ears with a finger. After all that happened on Corvus, she was glad that she would still be traveling with the kid. And with Mando.

As the planet below them faded, she looked out to the stars and as she thought of the adventures ahead, a smile formed on her lips.


	9. Chapter 9: The Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five days after they left Corvus, Rae and Mando go back into their routine on the Crest. Mando likes the normalcy, Rae is bored out of her mind and gets an idea to spice life up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm back with another chapter and let me tell you it's a wild one.  
> I hope you like sexual tension and pining and mentions of sex and masturbation cause this one has all of this.  
> It's just a fun chapter to further the relationship a bit and take a step back from space adventures for a minute.  
> Hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading :)

It had been five days since they left Calodan. Five days of dodging pirates and smugglers. Five days of trying to settle into a healthy rhythm of life on the Crest. Rae and Mando were taking turns sleeping again, with Rae often choosing to sleep during the night and Mando during the day. This rhythm often meant that Rae was the one to take care of Grogu while making sure the ship stayed on course, since the little one seemingly preferred to sleep during nighttime, too. Not that days and nights were any different in space. The three of them would usually share dinner as they did before Corvus, though. That was a habit that didn't change, and the way they happened hadn't changed either. Rae would still talk about her life while Mando fed the child and listened. Then, when Rae and Grogu were done eating, Mando would lock himself up in the cockpit to eat as well, and Rae would put the child in his hammock, take a quick shower and go to bed. Their little routine was back, and Mando didn't mind this semblance of normalcy.   


Rae, on the other hand, was getting bored. After everything that happened on Corvus, she craved some kind of adventure again, although she was still not completely over the pain in her back and ribs. She didn't really care what kind of adventure, as long as it took place on the ground and not in a ship. She was never really one for space travel, even though she loved ships. And now that she didn't have any more alcohol to make time go by faster, she was convinced it wouldn't be long until she lost her mind. The only thing that kept her from going insane was Mando. Or, more accurately, Mando’s signs of affection. That was one thing that had changed since Corvus: Mando lingered around her more. His hands always grazed hers when helped her with the food. When she went to the cockpit to tell him to go to bed in the morning, he’d always touch her arm or her waist as he left his seat. Little things that kept Rae grounded. Another small change was the way Mando behaved with Grogu. He’d call out his name randomly and chuckle when the kid looked at him quizzically. Around dinner time, he’d play with him and encourage him to take his favorite toy from him using the Force. It was always a sight, Grogu taking the little metallic ball from Mando without moving from his seat. And it kept Rae entertained. But apart from these little bites of life, living on the Crest was excruciatingly boring for Rae.  


So, one night, as Grogu’s snores kept her from finding sleep, she decided to do something about her boredom and have some fun. She carefully opened the door to the cot, stepped out and closed it again behind her, making sure to be as quiet as possible. Wearing only a pair of tight shorts and a loose white tee, she headed up the ladder to the cockpit and knocked on the door to signal her presence to Mando, in case he wasn't wearing his helmet. When the door opened in front of her, she stepped in the room and went to kneel on the floor next to Mando’s seat, as he glanced at her.  
  


“You're not sleeping?”

“No. The kid’s snoring is too loud.” She said with a slight chuckle. “So I thought I’d come here and bother you for a change.”

“You don't bother me.”

“Oh, I will, trust me.”  
  


Silence filled the room for a few minutes while Rae was thinking about her game plan and Mando waited for her to say something. Eventually, the brown-haired woman cleared her throat and turned her head towards him, settling her left elbow on his seat’s armrest.  
  


“Are you ever going to tell me why you don't remove your helmet?” She asked, an eyebrow raised.

“This is the Way.” He answered as he always did when she asked.

“You always say that like I’m supposed to know what the fuck it means.” She laughed bitterly. “Look, I know you're all mysterious and all but...I told you so many things about me and I barely know anything about you. And I just don't think that's very fair, you know?” She paused, waiting for him to say something, which he never did. “I’m just saying. If we're gonna travel together, I need to know some stuff about you. An answer about the damn helmet would be a great start.” 

“I was raised by a group of Mandalorians to follow the way of the Mandalore. When I was 15, I was sworn into the Creed, which means I can't show my face to any living being that isn't direct kin.”  
  


Rae listened and nodded as he explained. That rule didn’t make a lot of sense to her, but she respected his beliefs. Still, she didn’t understand when it had become the “Way of the Mandalore” to not show your face. But as she thought silently about it, another question flooded her mind. One she knew he would be uncomfortable with. She hesitated for a second, biting her lip.  
  


“I have another question, but this one's a bit more, uh...personal.” She waited for him to object, but he didn't, so she cleared her throat again and asked. “Do you keep the helmet on when you…when you have sex?”  
  


Mando’s head shot towards her and his mouth was agape in surprise behind the beskar. He had come to expect a lot of, well, unexpected topics of conversation from Rae, but so far sex had been avoided. Until now, apparently.   
  


“Wh-what?”

“You know, you're not supposed to show your face to anyone, so I’m just wondering if that means that you keep the helmet on during sex. I know I have a weird mind, just...I’m curious about how that whole thing works.” Rae clarified, turning her whole kneeling body towards Mando’s seat, expecting an answer that she knew would probably never come.

“I…”   
  


Mando paused for a second, thinking about whether or not he should answer this question. He wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable talking about sex, but he usually liked to avoid the subject when not with a close friend or someone he had been intimate with. He considered Rae a friend at this point, but his added attraction and feelings for her made talking about _ it _ a little...awkward for him. He weighed the pros and cons of answering in his head, and after a while, stammered an answer.  
  


“Not always, no. As long as the person I’m with doesn't see my face.”

“So like, you only take it off in the dark or if the person wears a blindfold or something, right?” Rae further inquired, genuinely curious about it.

“Yes.”

“Hm. Interesting.”   
  


She smirked and looked around the cockpit for a while. She was enjoying seeing Mando so dumbstruck when asked about sex and wanted to see how far she could push it. Beat telling him yet another story of her time with the Rebels. She waited a little, wanting the timing to be just right.  
  


“What about the armor?” She finally asked with an innocent voice.

“What about it?”

“You never take it off either, is that a part of your Creed as well?”

“Not really, but I was taught a Mandalorian’s most prized possession is his armor. I only take it off for hygiene and sleep.”

“Do you keep it on during sex?”   
  


Her voice wasn’t so innocent anymore, and she had a brazen look in her eyes as Mando turned his face to look at her in surprise. She slowly turned her face to look at him as well, an insolent smirk forming on her lips. The nature of the question, combined with the way she was looking at him, made Mando completely lose his composure. He was pretty sure he was getting hotter under his armor and felt the lust he was feeling towards Rae manifest itself in his pants. It had been a long time since he even talked about _ it _ . Hell, it had been a long time since he had  _ done it _ , too. He tried his best to push his lewd thoughts to the back of his brain and finally managed to say something.  
  


“Wh-what kind of question is that?”

“I’m just curious about the rules, that’s all.” Rae waited a little for him to answer, and, after a while, raised her hands in the air apologetically. “Look, if you don't want to answer that's fine, I was just trying to-”

“It depends on the person.” Mando blurted out, cutting her off. 

“What do you mean?”

“Some people like when I have it on, others don't mind. I only take it off when I really trust the other person.”

“And has that happened a lot?”

“Not really.”  
  


Rae nodded slowly, still wanting to see just how long Mando would put up with her shit. She bit her lip seductively as she settled her other elbow on the armrest and held her head in her hands, forcing Mando to push himself further against the other armrest. She was still smirking, a few of her teeth holding her lower lip between them, and she was looking up straight at Mando, who felt his pants getting tighter and tighter by the minute.   
  


“Okay, so… Imagine we're at a cantina or something and we're flirting and I ask you to come home with me and... you know. What would you say?” Rae asked somewhat innocently, although the question was everything but innocent. Mando’s brain stammered for a while before he could remember what words were again.

“I...uh...I don't know. You're very pretty...I guess...I guess I’d say yes. Why?” His dick was kinda doing the thinking instead of his brain by now.

“Just curious.” She smiles. “And… Would you take the armor off for me?”

“Excuse me?”

“In this imaginary scenario in which we were about to fuck, would you do it without the armor?” Rae’s tone was as bold as her question. She was enjoying this way too much.  
  


Mando was frozen. He thought that if Rae could see his face right now, his open mouth and dumbstruck eyes, she’d probably make fun of him. And she’d be right. He couldn’t believe what was happening, but the one thing that really frustrated him was how he was behaving. Like a monk. He wasn’t usually like this, but she had this effect on him. He was too aroused and too stunned to say anything that made sense or hid the fact that he would say yes with no hesitation. So he just sat there, looking like a dorky teenager behind his helmet, and waited until a coherent thought made its way to his brain.  
  


“Hm. I’ll take that as a yes.” Rae adorned a satisfied smile and turned her body back towards the stars, while Mando tried to come up with something to say.

“Are you drunk?” So that was the coherent thought that he was waiting for. He did regret asking a little after he said it, but at the same time, it was an actual question that he had been asking himself since the beginning of this strange conversation. Maybe the answer would make Rae’s behavior make sense.

“What? No! I’m just tired and bored.” She answered, looking offended that he even asked. “Actually, I haven't had a drop of alcohol since the night where I left your ship on Corvus. I decided to quit, but the problem is that I’ve been drinking before going to bed for about a year and now that I quit cold turkey, I can't sleep.” She didn’t know why she felt the need to tell Mando all that, but she did. “Am I bothering you now?” She asked, worried that she maybe pushed it too far and that he was actually annoyed with her now.

“Not if you're done with the sex questions.” He said, hoping she would let go of the subject and that his erection would die down a little.

“Crap. Guess I’ll need to find something else to talk about…”

“Why were you even asking me about this anyway?” 

“One: I’m bored. Two: I’m curious. Three: I miss it. Four: It was an excuse to get to know you better. I wasn't expecting you to answer this many questions.”  
  


Mando didn’t say or do anything, still stuck on her third reason. Damn. He missed it too. Knowing that the one that got him half-hard a minute ago was as horny as him didn’t help with his erection problem.   
  


“So...you think I’m pretty huh?”

“Well…yes, you have nice features.” Mando answered honestly.

“You talking about my face or the rest of me?”

“I…” His brain stammered again. All of it, he wanted to say, but he censored himself for the sake of the rest of their trip together. 

“I’m just teasing.” She paused, trying to find something else to talk about, to no avail. Although it didn’t show, Rae was extremely turned on now. “Well. Seems like the only thing I can think about is sex now, so I’ll stop bothering you and try to get some sleep.” She got up and leaned in to kiss Mando’s helmet. “Good night, Mando.”

“Good night, mesh’la.” Mando whispered as he watched Rae leave the cockpit, his eyes lingering on her lower back.    
  


Although Mando thought Rae didn’t hear what he said, or at least understood it, she did. She smiled to herself as she closed the cockpit door.  _ Mesh’la _ . The word and the way he’d said it kept resonating in her mind as she headed to the refresher, closed the door behind her, slid her fingers in her shorts and viciously masturbated until she came. Little did she know, as soon as he heard her climb down the ladder, Mando had pulled out his cock from his pants and stroked himself until he climaxed, too.


	10. Chapter 10: The Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bored and wanting to keep in shape in case they get boarded, Rae and Mando train in battle on the ship. But the tension between them catches up after the fight...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellooooo! Here's chapter 10!   
> It's full of teasing and it was a fun one to write.  
> Tags: sexual tension, mention of masturbation, mutual pining  
> Enjoy!

The next few days in the Crest were...uneventful. And weird. Every time Rae and Mando were close to each other, it was like something shifted in the air, and they both became very awkward. And when they touched, it was like their brains stopped functioning normally. They didn’t speak about it though, neither of them wanting to make things worse by materializing the tension between them. But it was there, still. And soon they’d have to do something about it. But for now, they were just pretending things were like they used to be, and that was fine by them.

One particularly mundane day, Rae felt like they needed to do something to get their muscles moving a bit and work out. After all, they were traveling sublight, which meant that they were an ideal target for pirates, smugglers, and slavers. It also meant that if the Empire were tracking them, they’d be easy to find. So Rae went up the cockpit, where Mando was piloting the ship - which meant making sure the autopilot didn’t turn off - and stood right next to him, straight as a board, waiting for him to acknowledge her.  
  


“Are you going to say something or not?” Mando asked after a few seconds of awkward silence.

“You wanna fight?” Rae asked defiantly.

“What?”

“I asked if you wanted to fight. I figured we could use the exercise and the training, just so we’re ready if we get boarded or something.” She explained while Mando was fiddling with some buttons on his panel. 

“That’s not a bad idea. But I don’t want to hurt you.” Mando answered calmly, finally standing up and facing Rae, who was looking at him with a daring stare.

“Who says you’re going to?”

“I don’t usually go soft when I fight, so I might.”

“We’ll see about that.” She chuckled and looked around the cockpit. “We should probably do this in the hold, there’s more space there.”

“After you.”   
  


Once they were both in the hold, Rae went to put Grogu in his hammock so he wouldn’t get hurt and could get a nice view, and grabbed her swords on the way. Mando was watching her movements attentively as if he was hypnotized when she started stretching. His gaze went from her neck to her arms to her legs as she carefully got her muscles ready for a workout.   
  


“Okay, here are the rules.” She said as she turned to face him and readied her swords. “You can only use your body and melee weapons to fight. No funky Mandalorian gadgets, no blasters. That sound okay to you?”

“Sounds fair. Are you ready?” Mando asked as he grabbed his new beskar spear, spinning it in his hand to intimidate Rae. Truth is, it had been a little while since he used such a weapon to fight, so this little training session was a good opportunity to practice.

“Yup. Are you?”

“Yes.”

“Let's go then.” She said with a sly smile before lurching towards Mando.  
  


She slammed her right saber down towards him, and he blocked it with his spear, the sound of the two beskar weapons colliding resonating in the hold. Rae chuckled and brought her other sword to the side, which Mando blocked as well by moving the spear to the left. Rae removed her weapons and took two steps back, analyzing the fight as quickly as she could to determine the best approach. 

It was something her father taught her when she was a child, to always analyze her opponent’s fighting style, their stance, their equipment, and the way they moved with a few tentative attacks before making her final moves. A vital piece of advice she tended to forget when actually fighting, her impulsive and sometimes aggressive nature taking over and making her act in the spur of the moment. When she looked at Mando, the most obvious thing she could see as an obstacle was his armor. Beskar was known for being one of the most resistant metals in the galaxy, and although her blades were made of this material just like his armor, it would be impossible for her to break through it. She tried to pinpoint places that were uncovered by the beskar and identified a few: his neck, his elbows, his shins, and...his crotch. His sides were also free of any armor but she figured it would probably be too hard for her to get him there. 

Right when she was done analyzing Mando’s armor, he slammed his spear over her. She managed to block the weapon with her right sword, but Mando didn’t stop his assault. He tried to get her on the left side, which she stopped again, and then relentlessly alternated between her right and left sides and her center. He was fast, much more than she had anticipated, but she still managed to block all of his hits. She intercepted his last hit over her head with both her swords and took the opportunity to kick his right shin. The move made the man stumble backward and drop his spear, and the woman chuckle in triumph. She continued her attack by flinging her swords towards him, but he immediately lifted his forearms to counter the blows with his vambraces. His defense didn’t discourage her though, and using all the strength she had in her body, she hammered him with her swords relentlessly, just like he did a few moments earlier. When she saw he was starting to struggle a bit, she took a step back and let him regain his composure, wanting the fight to last a little longer. Mando took the time to stand upright and take back his spear, and Rae could see he was panting a bit from the movement of his chest behind his armor.  
  


“Tired?” She taunted, spinning her right sword in her hand to show she wasn’t done. Mando went back into a battle stance and tilted his head to the side, amused at her teasing.

“Never.”  
  


He then used the spear’s length to its full advantage and hit Rae in her ribs, making her stumble to the side. She definitely wasn’t expecting him to make the first move after what she did to him. The hit hurt a bit, especially since her ribs were still a bit of an issue since Corvus. She coughed loudly and Mando moved closer, attaching the spear to his back and kicking her on the side of her left leg to weaken her even more. Rae dropped her left sword and winced in pain a little, feeling the Mandalorian’s boot on her leg still moments after the kick. She didn’t let it bring her down though and tried to get him with her sword, aiming for the gap between his shoulder and his forearm. Mando was quick to see where she was going and brought his vambrace up to stop the blow, twisting his forearm to bring her sword down and grab hers. He yanked her towards him and grabbed her sword with his other hand, throwing it across the hold, before hitting her in the stomach with his knee. She cried out in pain, which sent a wave of both worry and regret through Mando’s mind, but he tried to ignore it as he grabbed her left arm and pushed her against the metal wall of the hold, holding her arms up above her head. She was panting, her face twisted in pain, her body so devoid of strength she didn’t even try to struggle or fight back. Instead, she just rested her head against the wall, looking straight at Mando’s visor, and opened her hands to show she was done.  
  


“Alright, alright, you win.” She blurted out between two breaths, which made Mando ease his hold on her arms.   
  


He didn’t let go though, and they just stood there, spent, looking at each other. It was during this moment that Rae realized just how close his body was to hers, her breast brushing against his armor with every breath. She felt her arousal growing a bit with every passing moment and could feel the heat coming from him. None of them dared speak a word, scared to break the bubble they had made, until, after a few minutes, Rae decided it was time to address the growing tension between them.  
  


“Tell me I’m not the only one who feels it.” She breathed, her voice tainted with both exhaustion and lust.

“Feel what?” Mando asked, despite knowing exactly what she was talking about.

“This...tension between us. Of the sexual nature, I mean.” Mando didn’t respond, but he felt it too. “It’s been around since...you know. Since I asked you about-”

“I know.”

“So you feel it too.” Mando simply nodded once. He could feel Rae’s pulse accelerating under the fingers that were still on her wrists. “Don’t you want to do something about it?” She asked, her desire slipping in her tone, which made Mando’s pants feel a little tighter. “Maker knows I want to. And I think you want to too. Am I wrong?” The look in her eyes reeked of sex, and Mando didn’t know how he resisted the urge to turn her around, bend her over and take her right there. 

“You’re not.” He said slowly, his voice low and hoarse behind the helmet’s modulator.

“Then why don’t we? What’s stopping us?” Rae said softly, her forehead coming to rest against Mando’s helmet while her eyes tried to search Mando’s behind his visor.   
  


He gently let go of her arms, his hands dropping to cup her face softly, to which Rae responded with a sigh of relief as her eyes fluttered close. Her hands came to rest around his cloaked neck, and Mando closed his eyes too, holding her face against his helmet’s forehead for a few seconds before pulling away and turning his head to look over to the cot. Grogu was still there, perched in his hammock, watching the scene curiously. Rae let out a small whimper when she felt the cold beskar of his helmet leave her skin, and laid her head back against the metal wall, waiting a moment before opening her eyes. She watched as Mando’s gaze was fixed on the kid, and understood immediately.  
  


“I can’t let anything distract me from him. From his safety. From my mission.” Mando explained as he softly caressed her right cheek with his thumb and turned to look back at her. 

“I understand.” Rae answered, trying to hide the disappointment and frustration in her voice.

“Having you here is enough of a distraction. It’s one I’m willing to have, but anything else would just be-”

“I said I understand, Mando. You don’t have to justify yourself more.” This time, her frustration made its way to her tone. She let her hands fall to her side as she took a step to the side and went to grab her swords from the floor.

“I’m sorry.” Mando said as he watched her inspect her swords in the middle of the cargo hold.

“Don’t be. You have your reasons, it’s fine. I’ll just do the job myself.” Rae said, and this time she didn’t make any effort to hide how she felt. She looked over at him with a shy smile and put her swords near the cot, before sitting on it and taking off her boots. “I’m pretty spent, I’ll take a nap. Grogu doesn’t look like he wants to sleep so you should probably spend some time with him.”

“Okay.” Mando approached the cot and took Grogu in his arms. He looked down at Rae, who was also looking up at him, until she slid into the cot, closing the door behind her.  
  


Mando then turned to the ladder, which he climbed with little Grogu in his left arm, and sat down on his seat in the cockpit. He gave Grogu his toy, the metal ball that served as the knob to some lever, and looked at the space in front of him, his head racing with thoughts of Rae touching herself in his bunk.

  
  



	11. Chapter 11: The Stopover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rae convinces Mando to make a stop on their way to Tython. She reconnects with old friends and wonders if she should stay with Mando and Grogu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! I'm back! Sorry it took so long to upload this chapter but I was in a bit of a rough patch in my personal life and had trouble writing. This chapter has a lot of dialogue and introduces "new" characters (including one that fans of The Clone Wars might recognize). Warnings for slight angst and fluff and shit, cause I love a bittersweet kind of relationship.  
> Hope you enjoy!

It had been around a week and a half since Corvus. And a couple of days since the...fight. After the events of that day, Rae had tried to keep her distance from Mando. She didn’t show it, but the words he had used to describe whatever was going on between them still stung. _A distraction_ . So that was all she was to him. She liked the Mandalorian, she really did, but sometimes she just couldn’t understand him. _What kind of big shot bounty hunter gets distracted by a woman?_ It took her a lot of thinking about it to see where she was wrong. Mando had been traveling alone for a long time before he got Grogu, and she was probably the first woman who stuck around in a while. So she kinda got it, although she didn’t particularly see how having sex once would completely fluster him to the point where he couldn’t stay focused on his mission. Plus, she had too much pride to let herself be referred to as a distraction and accept it, so she gave him the cold shoulder and masturbated almost every night. She secretly held the hope that one day he’d catch her in the act and rethink everything, but knew that would never happen. 

The trip was starting to last an eternity to Rae. Between the stuff with Mando, the risk of being boarded, the lingering worry that the Empire could catch up to them, and the fact that long space travel still made her uncomfortable...it was all too much. And in the confined space of the Crest, her thoughts were getting too loud. She needed to be on a planet, or else, she was going to go insane.

So, the kid in one arm, she climbed the ladder to the cockpit, where Mando was spending most of his time these days, and loudly banged on the door. Grogu let out a startled noise in her arm, taken aback by the sound of her fist against the durasteel door. She softly apologized to the child and gently brushed over his left ear. It was then her turn to be startled when the door opened suddenly and she found herself face to face with Mando. Although she couldn’t see his face, she had learned enough about his body language over the weeks to know he was bothered and she probably disturbed him.   
  


“Can we talk?” She asked, her voice strong and determined.

“Look, if it’s about the other day, I don’t think-”

“We don’t need to talk about that anymore, you made things pretty clear last time and I respect your reasons.” She half-lied, her voice quick and dismissive. She really didn’t want to talk about that. “Can we come in?”  
  


Mando nodded, stepping aside to let Rae and Grogu through. The mechanic let the little green kid down on his seat gently, booping his nose on her way back up, and the sight made Mando’s heart sing. He didn’t know how long he would be able to repress his feelings for the woman. Her coldness the last few days had certainly helped, but at the same time, all he had been able to think about was her. And the kid, but that goes without saying. He didn’t know exactly when Rae and Grogu had started to take up so much space in his mind and his heart, but he knew he would give up his life if it meant keeping them safe. It was both overwhelming and terrifying, having two people whose lives mattered more than his to him. Especially when one of them didn’t know about it and had been distant for two days.   
  


“I’m going stir crazy.” Rae’s voice had pulled Mando out of his thoughts, and he lifted his helmet to look back at her. She was leaning against the back of the pilot’s seat, her arms crossed. “How long until we get to Tython?”

“Two weeks, more or less.” Mando announced with his usual neutral tone, and a loud sigh escaped Rae’s lips as she let her head hang low.

“I can’t stay cooped up in here for two more weeks, Mando.” 

“I’m sorry. But we don’t have a choice.” His words made Rae lower her head and think.

“Actually, we do.” She lifted her head back up, looked at Mando for a second, and turned to look at the ship’s directional computer. Mando almost ran up to her, not only worried about her mental state anymore, but also about her fidgeting with his ship’s control panel.

“What are you doing?”

“Relax, I’m just looking something up.” She tapped a few coordinates in the computer, which calculated how far the planet she had in mind was. Once the calculation was complete, she smiled and turned to Mando. “Okay, so I know a place we can stop at for a while.”

“I’m not stopping, I have to get the child-”

“To the sacred Jedi place, I know. But that is still two weeks away. The place I’m thinking about is only four days away and we can get a hyperdrive there. So it’ll take less time to stop there, get some fresh air, and leave than to head straight to Tython.” Mando let out a nearly inaudible sigh, considering her proposal in his head. It _would_ be safer and quicker to stop and get a new hyperdrive, that much was true. 

“Alright, what is that place?”

“Black Spire Outpost. It’s on Batuu. I know a guy who can get us the best price on a hyperdrive.” She got closer to Mando, prompting him to look at her. “I swear it’s worth it.” Her eyes were practically pleading for him to say yes. 

“Okay.” He finally let out with a sigh, caving in to her demand. There was something about her eyes, he just couldn’t say no to her. At least not this time.

“Yes!” She breathed out in both relief and victory. “Thanks, Mando.” She gave him a genuine smile and moved to the child, taking him in her arms and placing a kiss on his forehead. “Did you hear? We’re going to stop on a planet, breathe some fresh air!” Grogu giggled and cooed in joy. Although he couldn’t express it with words, Rae sensed that he was getting bored of being on the Crest, too.

\-------

Four days later, they finally arrived in Black Spire Outpost. The place was renowned in the Galaxy for being the last stop before Wild Space and the Unknown Regions, which made it a haven for adventurers, smugglers, and rogue traders. Although most people in the Galaxy considered the Outpost as a place of ill repute, the people who lived and worked there knew there wasn’t a freer city in the Universe. There, no one judged you on what you did, and no matter who you were, you had a place in Black Spire. That was what drew Rae there after the war ended, when she was just looking for somewhere to find herself. She had loved her years in Black Spire, the friends she made there...looking back, she wished she’d never left. Never followed _him_ away from her dream life. But that was the past, and there was nothing she could do to change it now. She could only tuck the bad memories in the darkest corner of her mind and let the good ones shine. 

The Crest was parked in one of the many hangars around the Outpost, and after Mando was done settling things with the hangar manager, him, Rae, and Grogu, who was asleep in Mando’s bag, walked into the bustling streets of Black Spire. Rae had a large smile plastered on her face as she passed the places she was so used to frequent a few years back. Mando watched as she greeted some shop owners, people of various races and species who passed by and recognized her...there was no doubt in his mind that this was her home, and the thought sent a tinge of worry through his mind. _What if she doesn’t want to leave?_ _What if she decides to stay here?_ The worry almost turned to panic when he realized he didn’t want to keep doing this without her around. He _would_ , because he didn’t have any other choice, because that was the right thing to do for _Grogu_. But he would hate not seeing this through _with her_. He mindlessly followed her through the streets of Black Spire, the fear of seeing her stay still clouding his brain until she came to a stop in front of a worn-down building. She looked confused and slightly alarmed, and looked around to see if somehow there was a way into the building. The edifice looked charred, the ceiling was half gone and the windows were shattered.  
  


“Shit.” Rae mumbled as she came back to Mando. “Okay, we might have a change of plans here.”

“What’s going on?”

“That...that was the place I thought we’d buy the hyperdrive. I don’t know what happened…” She frowned in concern and immediately walked again, her pace quick.  
  


Mando followed her to a hangar marked ‘Ohnaka Shipping Solutions’. The hangar was busy, with various droids and people moving crates and boxes around. Rae didn’t seem to hesitate as she walked in, heading straight to what looked like the manager’s office. Mando trailed behind her and found her knocking on the door. The durasteel door opened suddenly and a Weequay man stepped out. He looked at Rae suspiciously at first, until, after a short moment, his eyes opened wide and he took her in his arms, hugging her tightly. Mando instinctively put his hand on his blaster until he heard Rae laugh and saw her return the hug. After a little while, the Weequay stepped back, keeping a hand on Rae’s shoulder, and let out a joyful laugh.  
  


“Little Rae! It’s been too long, young one. How are you?” The Weequay asked, a smile plastered on his face. Mando could tell they were close, and their apparent complicity made him a little jealous.

“It _has_ been too long, Hondo. I’m okay, how are you?”

“Oh, you know...handling business is tiring but one has to make money somehow.” Hondo said with a chuckle. “To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing my favorite person here again? And where’s that little boyfriend of yours? I forgot his name again...” Hondo seemed to think about it but was cut off by Rae.

“ _Ex_ -boyfriend. He could be dead in a ditch for all I care.” Rae dismissed his last question quickly, not wanting her day to be ruined by thoughts of this asshole. “I’m looking for a hyperdrive. I thought I could get one from Rango but his shop is all...destroyed. What happened? Is he alright?” There was a hint of concern in her voice.

“Oh, my dear you’ve been gone too long! Some disgruntled Rodian idiot set Rango’s shop on fire after he claimed he’d been scammed, a few months ago. The place burned down and Rango could only save his credits and a few parts.” Hondo explained, a sad smile on his face. “He had to relocate outside of the city, but he’s still alive.” 

“Oh, thank the Maker.” Rae sighed in relief. “Can you give me his coordinates?”

“Sure, little Rae.” Hondo went back into his office, grabbed a small datapad, and handed it over to Rae. His eyes finally landed on the Mandalorian when he stepped out again, and he whistled in awe at the sight of his armor. “What a pretty armor you’ve got there, Mandalorian. You know a lot of people would kill to get their hands on beskar…” His tone was ominous.

“I’m aware.” Mando’s modulated voice was stern, unimpressed by the Weequay’s insinuation.

“Hondo, leave him alone.” Rae warned, slightly amused by the way Hondo’s old pirate habits came around.

“What? We’re just talking.”

“Yeah right. I’ve known you long enough to know what this tone means, you old pirate.”

“Well, what can I say. You can take the man out of piracy, but you’ll never take piracy out of the man.” Hondo said before laughing out loud, his hand resting on Rae’s right shoulder. The woman chuckled, amused by her old friend’s demeanor. She’d missed him. But she’d never say that to him, he’d like it too much.

“Do you have speeders we can borrow?” 

“Borrow? You mean rent?” The old pirate corrected, crossing his arms.

“Come on, Hondo. I’m sure you can make an effort for an old friend!” She said with a smile, her hand coming to rest on his chest. Although the gesture was innocent, it made Mando blush in envy. The Weequay closed his eyes and shook his head, not letting the mechanic’s charm get to him.

“I’m sorry my dear, but this is business! It costs me a lot to maintain my speeders, I can’t start giving them out for free!” He opened his eyes back up and started scratching his chin. “But I suppose I can adjust the price for you…”

“How much?” Mando decided to cut this short and interjected. Rae could tell that Hondo was annoying him. It didn’t surprise her though, he seemed to have that effect on most people. 

“Let’s say...300 credits.”

“300? I know you love your profits but this is-” Rae was stopped by Mando’s hand on her shoulder. He had his other hand outstretched towards Hondo, a couple of credits in his gloved hand. The Weequay took them hurriedly, counting them, and putting them in his pocket.

“I’ll show you the speeders.” He said with a satisfied smile before walking to the front of the hangar, gesturing for the two travelers to follow him.

“I had this under control, Mando. I could’ve gotten the speeders for free, why did you interrupt me?” Rae whispered to Mando, shooting him a glare as they walked towards the Weequay, who was checking with a mechanic to make sure everything was fine with the bikes.

“We’re in a hurry, remember?” Mando replied, reminding Rae of what their original goal was.

“Oh, come on! Surely you could’ve waited a couple minutes more, I’m sure it wouldn’t have disturbed your precious mission.” Rae continued, sarcastic and annoyed.

“What’s this really about?” Mando asked, sensing that there was something else bothering his...friend? Partner? Passenger? 

“Nothing.” Rae dismissed the question and slipped back into her cheerful self when they reached Hondo and the speeders. “Everything ready?”

“Uh...There’s a bit of a problem with one of the bikes. Engine’s a little rusty. So I only have the one speeder to rent you.” Hondo explained, trying his best to sound sorry. But Rae knew he was faking it and had probably made this whole thing up to save on maintenance costs. She was about to protest Hondo’s pirate ways when Mando cut her off before she could even let out a single sound.

“That’s fine, it’ll work.” Rae sighed in frustration but decided to let it slide this once. After all, it wasn’t her problem if Mando wanted to let Hondo scam him out of 300 credits.   
  


It took them a few minutes to get the speeder ready, but soon, they were out of the hangar and later, the city limits. Mando was driving the speeder through the woods surrounding Black Spire and Rae was sitting behind him, her hands holding on to the sides of the speeder to avoid making contact with Mando and creating yet another awkward situation. The bag where Grogu had been sleeping was safely attached to the side of the bike, and Grogu was peeking his little head out to take in his surroundings. He seemed to enjoy the speed, letting out euphoric sounds from time to time, much to Rae’s amusement. After a few minutes, they finally reached the coordinates entered on the datapad, and found themselves in front of a medium-size simple white building, surrounded by a high fence. Rae hopped off the speeder and turned to Mando, who was about to do the same.  
  


“You let me handle it this time, okay? We’re not getting scammed because you want to get out of here quickly.” She said, stern and almost commanding. It was the first time that Mando heard her speak like this, and somehow he felt like it wouldn’t be the last. He almost hoped it wouldn’t. He nodded, got off the speeder bike, grabbed Grogu, and followed her inside of the building. 

“Why would we get scammed?”

“You’ll see.”  
  


The inside was almost as bare as the outside. The floor was dusty, the furniture reduced to the strict minimum, with only a desk, a chair, and a couch. There was also a small kitchen area towards the back, with a caf machine, a sink, and a small fridge. The rest of the space was filled with shelves covered with various parts for droids, ships, and speeders. There was a door in the back that led to a small yard where bigger parts were stored. Rae and Mando walked in to find a rather short Besalisk man slumped over his desk and mumbling to himself. Rae cleared her throat to get his attention and he turned around quickly, startled. He seemed to be frozen in place for a little while, his eyes narrowing as if he was making sure he wasn’t hallucinating. After a short while, he walked towards the pair, still looking unsure of what he was seeing.  
  


“Rae? Is that you?” He asked, his voice gruff.

“How you doing Rango?” She answered with a smile, and the Besalisk immediately erupted in earnest laughter.

“Maker it’s been so long! I’m so happy to see you again, Rae. I’m fine, how’s life been? Tell me everything!” Rango sounded genuinely happy and joyful and was walking towards his couch, motioning for Rae to follow. She was about to until she caught Mando’s visor. _Right, we’re in a hurry_ , she thought, putting her hands in her pockets nervously.

“Actually, Rango, I didn’t stop by to talk. I’m looking for a hyperdrive that could fit a Razor Crest model.” She explained, watching her friend’s face fall a little when she brought the conversation to business. 

“A Razor Crest? Who the hell still flies such a piece of crap ship?” He said, getting up from the couch, grabbing a pair of small glasses, and heading towards some of the shelves in the room, searching for the part she asked for.

“I do.” Mando responded, his low modulated voice startling the Besalisk, who hit his head on a shelf. 

“Ouch!” He looked up to meet the Mandalorian’s gaze and swallowed hard. He hadn’t even noticed him, the grey of his armor fading in with the decor to the Besalisk, who seemingly had a seeing problem. But now that he saw the Mandalorian, his fear was palpable. “Sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to disrespect you or your ship.” He mumbled, bowing his head in apology.

“It’s fine.”

“Rango, I don’t mean to pressure you or anything but me and my friend here are on a bit of a schedule.” Rae said to get her friend back to searching, the presence of the Mandalorian having distracted him. 

Rango mumbled and got back to searching. After a little while, he emerged from the shelves with the hyperdrive in his four hands. He struggled a bit to walk with it since it was not the smallest object, but he eventually managed to set it in front of Rae and Mando.

“There’s your hyperdrive.”

“Do you mind if I take a look at it?”

“What? You scared I’m not selling quality?”

“I just want to make sure it’s good to go.” The Besalisk mumbled that yes, she could take a look, and Rae crouched to inspect the hyperdrive. Everything seemed to be in order, so she quickly got back up and turned to Rango, who had his hands on his waist. “Alright, how much?”

The Besalisk put a hand on his chin and posed like he was deep in thought, using two of his other hands to count things on his fingers and muttering to himself under his non-existent beard. After a while, he set his hands back down on his waist and looked a Rae with a smile.

“8 000 credits.” 

Mando was in shock. Since when was a used hyperdrive worth eight thousand credits? He looked over at Rae who, like him, was shocked. She was used to the Besalisk charging too much for his parts, but this was _a lot_ of credits. Her mouth was agape, her eyes wide and one of her eyebrows was arched in confusion. It took her a moment to finally close her mouth and try to speak. She kept fumbling over her words, not a single intelligible syllable coming out of her mouth. To help her regain control of her brain, Mando decided to get some clarification on why the price was this high and asked Rango directly.

“Well, you know, times have been tough for me lately. I lost my previous shop to a fire, I had to acquire new parts and a new shop, which is out of the city so I get less business...and this is the last of this kind of hyperdrive that I have in store, so…”

“Rango, you’re my friend and I’m really sorry about what happened to your old shop, but this price is Bantha crap.” Rae said, finally regaining some sense. “We’re not paying 8 000 kriffing credits for a used hyperdrive.” 

“I’m sorry, Rae, but that’s my price.” Rango concluded, moving to pick the hyperdrive back up, but Rae put her foot on it to stop him.

“We’ll take it for 2 000 credits.” 

“Are you insane? No, I’m sorry but I can’t do that. The lowest I can go is 6 000.”

Rae shot a look at Mando, motioning towards the Besalisk with her head. Mando took that as an invitation to get involved and tied his grappling rope around the man’s wrists. 

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” The man exclaimed, both shocked and scared. Rae moved towards him slowly, almost menacing, and looked him straight in the eyes.

“2 000 credits.”

“Is that how you negotiate now, Rae? By threatening your friends?”

“Cut the crap, Rango. Everyone here knows you always charge too much for your parts. They might fall for it, but I don’t. Not when I’m paying with my money. 2 000.” Her eyes were locked with Rango’s, and she could feel the fear emanating from him. Her tactic was working.

“I can do 4 500, but I’m telling you that’s the lowest I can do.” His voice was almost trembling and Rae felt bad about putting her friend through this. But she knew him, and she knew it was the only way to get a fair price.

“3 000.”

“Rae, I can’t!” He protested, swallowing hard when he felt Mando tighten his rope on his wrists. “4 000, that’s my last price.”  
  


This little situation continued until they agreed on 3 250 credits. Rango was free from the Mandalorian’s rope, and the three of them were packing the hyperdrive on the speeder, trying to secure it so it wouldn’t fall during their trip back to Black Spire. Rae turned to Rango once the hyperdrive was secured, and apologized profusely for the way the negotiations were made. The Besalisk dismissed it, to her surprise, saying he’d seen worse in all of his years of activity, and that he probably deserved it for trying to charge them so much. Rae smiled and hugged her friend, still apologizing. They were talking about how life had been for them while they hugged, and after a few minutes, Mando decided to cut the reunion short by loudly clearing his throat. The old friends separated and Rae shot a glare at Mando before saying goodbye to Rango, and they were speeding through the forest again in moments. They stopped by the Crest to store the hyperdrive in the hold, and returned the speeder to Hondo, Mando choosing to let Rae handle it while he waited outside with Grogu. He didn't want to deal with the Weequay again.   
  


“Do you have time to catch up over a drink, little Rae?” Hondo asked, hoping to have some time with his friend before she went off-world again. His question was met with sad eyes as Rae simply shook her head.

“I’d love to, but we're in a bit of a hurry according to my, uh…” she struggled to find the correct word to describe her relationship with Mando, and Hondo caught it, stopping her from overthinking with a chuckle and a kind hand on her shoulder. 

“Don't worry, dear. We’ll get that drink once you're done with whatever it is you have to do. And you’ll finally tell me what happened to your Twi’lek!”   
  


Rae tensed at the mention of her ex but tried to keep a straight face for Hondo. She didn't know when they'd see each other again, and didn't want Hondo’s possibly last memory of her to be her crying over a stupid, abusive ex. They said their goodbyes with a long hug, and Rae could feel tears well up in her eyes as she considered staying. After all, things didn't go exactly well for her when she first left Batuu. Maybe Mando and Grogu would do better without her. Maybe she belonged here, not traveling through space with a quiet Mandalorian and a Jedi baby. As if he could sense her internal dilemma, Hondo separated from her and took both her shoulders in his hands, making sure she was looking straight to him.  
  


“I know you love this place, but you're too young and adventurous to settle. Go, explore the Galaxy with your Mandalorian, cause some good trouble, and come back when you feel like it’s time. Black Spire will be waiting for you. I will, too. But for now, go enjoy the Galaxy you helped free.” He had a kind smile on his lips, and his eyes were caring behind his goggles. Rae mouthed a thank you, wiped the tears that had started falling from her eyes, and gave Hondo a sad smile as she retreated from his hold and left the hangar.

When she got back to Mando, his eyes were fixed on his feet, where Grogu was playing, trying to catch a butterfly in his little three-fingered hand. The sight brought a smile to her face, and she giggled as the child almost tripped on a rock. The sound made Mando look up at her, and the first thing he noticed was her eyes. They were puffy, red, and wet. She cried. 

“Is everything alright? Did something happen in there? Did he do something to you?” The questions escaped Mando's mouth without him giving it a second thought, like the thought filter he was so used to putting up suddenly vanished. Rae could sense some worry and anger in his voice, and rushed to calm things down.

“No, no, nothing happened, don't worry. It’s just...I don't like leaving this place, that's all.”   
  


She offered a smile and motioned towards the hangar where the Crest was parked with a quick tip of the head. Mando picked Grogu up and installed him back in his bag, and they were walking back to the ship in a heartbeat. The walk back was silent, but not the comfortable kind of silence they were used to. It wasn't awkward either. It was just...heavy. Mando could tell the gears in Rae’s mind were turning at an excruciating speed, and it scared him a little, the fear of her staying here becoming more and more real with each step they took. Once at the hangar, Mando settled everything with the manager while Rae removed the old hyperdrive and Grogu was in the hold, playing with the knob he loved so much, and a few minutes later, they took off. 

The heavy silence was still present in the cockpit, and it was weighing heavier and heavier by the second. Once Mando gave Rae a note that they were out of Batuu’s atmosphere, she quickly got up from her seat and went back into the hold, and Mando could hear her sniffing on her way down the ladder. He sighed, not knowing what to do. Maybe she wanted to be left alone? Or maybe she wanted to talk about whatever was troubling her? He had no idea. What he knew, though, was that he couldn't bear to know her sad or preoccupied. So, he turned on the autopilot, grabbed Grogu, and made his way down the ladder to make sure she was okay. 

He found her kneeling on the durasteel floor of the hold, trying to fit the newly acquired hyperdrive in the old one’s place, and he could hear her crying. He set Grogu down on the floor and took a tentative step towards Rae, who startled when she heard the clatter of his armor behind her. She quickly wiped her tears with the back of her hands and pretended she was fine, but he wasn't buying it.  
  


“I know you’ve been crying, Rae.” His voice was soft even through the modulator. Rae chuckled and sniffed as more tears found their way down her cheeks. 

“Dank farrik, I thought I was being slick for once.”

“What's going on?” Mando took a few steps to get closer to her, Grogu hovering next to them in curiosity. 

“You don't wanna know.”

“I wouldn't be asking if that was the case.”   
  


He finally closed the gap between them and kneeled next to her, searching her eyes with his own. She closed them for a few seconds, as if feeling his gaze on her, and opened them to look back at him. The sadness and confusion in her eyes made Mando’s heart tighten in his chest. Yeah, he definitely hated seeing her like this. He took off one of his gloves and placed his hand gently on her cheek, wiping the tears away with his thumb, and the feeling of his skin on hers sent electricity running through their spines. But it wasn't lust or want, this time. It was something different. Softer, purer, more innocent.  
  


“I almost didn't go with you.” Rae said, her voice quiet, almost as if she was ashamed of admitting this out loud. “Back when I was with Hondo, I… I almost stayed with him. I wanted to.” Mando closed his eyes, the admission stinging a bit. So he wasn't totally scared for nothing earlier. He wanted to ask why she didn't, why she decided to stay with him and Grogu, but instead decided to let her explain if she wanted to. It took her a moment, but eventually, she kept going. “I don't even know why. I mean, I do know, but… Black Spire has become home. I spent two of the best years of my life there, met some incredible people. And when I left, two years ago, my life kinda fell apart. I guess with everything going on, I was just scared that leaving again would fuck up my life even more. Which is stupid because I have you and I have Grogu and there's no reason that things will just blow up in my face again, but…” she paused, catching her breath a little after saying all of this. “This Empire business is overwhelming and I guess I’ve let this anxiety build-up and it all just spilled out when I was with Hondo, and whatever’s going on between us is stressing me out too because I don't really know what it is, and fuck I’m so scared for the kid all the time and-” She was stopped by Mando pulling her into a hug. Since he couldn't really kiss her to shut her up, he decided on hugging her. They stayed like this for a little while, Rae melting into Mando's arms as his thumbs softly caressed her waist above her shirt until he eventually pulled away and cupped her face.

“I would've understood if you stayed on Batuu. I get that life on the Crest is not ideal. But I’m glad you decided to stick around a bit longer. As long as I’m around, the Empire will not get anywhere close to you or Grogu. I promise.” He brushed some hair out of her face, watching as her face softened both at his touch and his words. Mando debated whether or not he should say something about his feelings for her to ease some of her stress over that, but he took too long to decide.

“I wish I could see your face and kiss you right now.” The words spilled from her lips on their own, without her really wanting to say them. She widened her eyes once she realized what she’d said and was about to apologize when he sighed and spoke.

“Me too.” He brought her face towards his and rested his forehead on hers gently, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes once her skin was settled against his beskar. “I’m really glad you stayed with us, cyar’ika. I’m...I’m sorry I can’t give you what you want. If you decide to stay when the child is with the Jedi, then maybe...maybe we could…” His words were caught in his throat, but he eased when he felt Rae’s hands on the side of his helmet.

“I’ll wait until you think the time is right. I’m not going anywhere, cyare. Not anymore.” Mando opened up his eyes to look at her, both touched by her words and curious, again, about how she knew Mando’a. “Thank you for the kiss. I needed that.” She said, taking her head away from his and putting her hands on his, which were still cupping her face. “I have to get back to work.”  
  


Mando’s hands slowly fell from her face and she let go of them, turning to face the hyperdrive. He stayed seated next to her, watching her work and making himself available if she needed help. The kid was watching her work too, reaching out from time to time to touch some of the wires and tools, his hand always caught by Mando before he could touch anything. Rae would ask Mando to pass her some tools every once in a while, but she mostly installed the hyperdrive alone. After about fifteen minutes, it was all done. Rae closed the hatch, turned to Mando, and smiled. There was no sign in her eyes that she’d been crying twenty minutes earlier, and Mando couldn’t help but smile back.   
  


“All done! Ready to enjoy the pleasures of hyperspace again?” She said cheerfully as Mando got up and gave her his hand to help her do the same.

“Sure am.”   
  


Once they were both on their feet, Rae grabbed Grogu and followed Mando to the cockpit. They each sat in their respective seats and Mando counted down the seconds before the ship was supposed to get into hyperspace. When he said “one”, blue stripes appeared before them, and a second later, they were engulfed in blue light and on their way to Tython, once again. 


	12. Chapter 12: The Tragedy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rae, Mando and Grogu finally arrive on Tython, but things go south quickly and Mando suffers losses he wasn't prepared to handle.

_ Thank the Maker for hyperspace _ , Rae thought as Tython was in sight after only a few days of travel. She was on her seat behind Mando as the ship entered the planet’s atmosphere. Grogu was on Mando’s lap, watching the planet’s mountainous landscape curiously. 

“This is Tython. That’s where we’re gonna try and find you a Jedi.” Mando said to Grogu, who looked up at him quizzically. “But you have to agree to go with them if they want you to. Understand? Plus, I can’t train you. You’re too powerful. Don’t you wanna learn more of that Jedi stuff?” Grogu grunted and looked back at the planet before him. 

Mando was flying the ship around the planet to try to find the scared Jedi rock Ahsoka had told him about. Once he found it, he scanned the area to figure out where he could land the ship, and quickly realized it would be impossible to land close to the rock due to the relief.

“I’m gonna have to land quite far from the place, Rae. I’ll take Grogu there with my jetpack, you okay to stay with the ship?” Mando asked, turning to look at Rae behind him. She nodded, a little disappointed that she wouldn’t get to see the Jedi rock, but understanding that it was simpler to do it this way. Plus, it looked like quite the hike to get up to the rock, so she was fine with saving her energy.

Once the ship was landed, Mando flickered a few buttons and got up from his seat with Grogu in his arms. Rae did the same and soon, the three of them were down in the hold. The hatch opened to reveal warm weather, bright sunlight, and a slight cooling breeze. Mando handed Grogu to Rae, who stepped out of the ship while he was equipping his jetpack. She took a few steps and smiled, happy to finally have some time to relax on terra firma. She spun when she heard the signature clank of Mando’s boots against the hatch’s durasteel, and handed him Grogu. 

“Be careful up there.” She said with a smile, closing an eye and squinting the other to protect them from the harsh sun.

“I always am with him.” Mando said, smiling at the face she was making. He quickly brushed her cheek with one of his hands and soon after that, he was up in the air, Grogu tight between his arms.

Rae watched them leave with a sigh, hoping things would go well for them and that they would find some answers. She decided to spend her time alone on this new planet exploring. She grabbed her swords for caution, tucked them in their sheathe on her hips, and climbed one of the hills close to the Crest. Perched on a rock on top of said hill, she put her hands on her waist and looked around with a smile. The planet was almost desertic, with dry soil and only a few types of plants growing around. However, it was almost entirely covered with hills, valleys, and mountains, from what she could see. It was definitely nicer than Corvus. She sat on her small rock and was grateful she decided to wear a grey tee and a pair of plain black loose pants as she soaked in the warmth and the sun. She spent a few minutes enjoying her little sun-filled break until the sound of a ship flying around made her eyes shoot open. Her head almost automatically turned to the origin of the sound, and she muttered a quiet “shit” under her breath. She had to warn Mando, in case he hadn’t seen the ship. She got back on her feet and almost ran up the mountains and hills to where the Jedi rock was. She almost collided with Mando at the base of the sacred place but managed to stay on her feet. Out of breath, she tried to warn Mando about the unknown ship that probably landed somewhere around here, but her words came out slurred. Mando placed his hands on her shoulders, steadying her.

“I saw the ship. I was coming down to see if you were okay. The kid is...in some sort of trance, try to get him out of it while I go check it out.” He said calmly, but still with some urgency in his tone. 

Rae nodded and walked the few meters that separated her from where Grogu was. Her jaw fell when she saw the blue energy surrounding the little being, who was sitting cross-legged on the stone, his fingers forming a circle on his knees. She called out for him, hoping that would be enough to snap him out of whatever he was doing, but it wasn’t. She tentatively took a step towards the blue energy and felt it pushing her away as she got closer. But they weren’t alone on the planet anymore, and she didn’t have time to figure out how to best approach this. She had to get him out. She pushed against the invisible force to get closer to the kid, extending a hand towards him, reaching to get him as she screamed his name. She let out a groan as she felt the energy pushing her back with renewed strength, and was thrown back with force. She managed to stay on her feet, but she was a little dizzy and somewhat exhausted from the effort. She was about to try again when she heard the sound of a ship flying by - yet again. She looked at the ship and recognized it immediately. It was an Imperial Stormtrooper Transport, used to get soldiers from a Cruiser to a battlefield. A wave of fear washed over her as she watched it land near the Crest. The hatch opened and an entire battalion of stormtroopers ran out, taking positions and firing around. She saw Mando run towards her and called out his name.

“Mando! They’re stormtroopers!”

“I know, we have to leave.”

“Go fight them off, I’ll take care of Grogu.” Mando nodded and ran back down the mountain to help Boba and Fennec fight off the soldiers. 

Rae let out a sharp breath and turned back to the child. The blue shield around him had raised even higher up in the sky. She cursed under her breath as she tried to breach it again, and again, and again, but she was pushed away every time. She decided to try one last time, using all her strength and energy to breach the barrier. She grunted as she got closer than she ever had, her fingers bending the energy field. She almost thought she’d manage to get to Grogu when she was, once again, pushed away. But this time with unimaginable force. She was thrown in the air, landing on her stomach a few feet away. Her breath stopped for a second before she lost consciousness and there was only darkness.

Meanwhile, Mando was helping his unlikely allies fight off the enemies, trying not to get distracted from the battle by thoughts of Grogu and Rae possibly getting hurt. He fired his blaster at every stormtrooper that entered his line of sight, sometimes working in tandem with Fennec to be more efficient. He tried to keep an eye on Boba Fett, just to make sure he wasn’t going to betray him. The battle seemed to last forever, and the stormtroopers seemingly never stopped coming. Mando kept going, though, not wanting to risk the safety of Grogu and Rae up the mountain. At some point, he lost track of Boba. He tried to find him again but was interrupted by the sound of yet another ship flying by. Another transport. He let out a strained sigh and got back to the fight. More and more stormtroopers joined in as the second transport’s hatch opened, and it was getting harder to resist. They had a mortar, heavy repeating canons...and Boba was still nowhere to be found. Fennec and Mando were in a bit of a tough spot, surrounded by stormtroopers who, although they missed two shots out of three, still managed to get a few hits on Mando’s beskar. 

“This isn’t looking good.” Fennec said as she and Mando tried to kill as many soldiers as they could, their backs to one another in the middle of the circle their enemies formed around them.

“I’ve seen worse. You can get out of here, I owe you from last time.” Mando said as they spun to trade places, firing at the troopers relentlessly.

“We have a deal.” Fennec answered, and Mando groaned internally. He wasn’t sure if this deal with an assassin and a bounty hunter was the best decision he’d made. 

The fight was getting too hard for the both of them, the troopers’ assault unbending and ruthless. They weren’t good soldiers by any means, but there were just too many of them to take on as a pair. And then suddenly, a grenade fell from the sky and exploded, taking out at least five stormtroopers in one go. Then,  _ he _ fell from the sky behind a stormtrooper and knocked him out in a swift motion, before aiming his blaster at the others. Boba Fett. Wearing  _ his _ armor. He shot a few stormtroopers before aiming at the repeating canon’s engine, blowing it up and taking out five more troopers in the process. Mando was focused on taking out the soldiers on his side of the battlefield, but when he turned to look back at Fett, he noticed the number of bodies on the ground. The man was good.  _ Really _ good. The remaining soldiers ran back to their transport, fleeing the three mercenaries and taking off. As the transports were getting farther from the planet’s surface, Boba got in position, aimed at them, and bent ever so slightly to release a missile from his jetpack. The rocket hit the transport on the right, which took out the other one as it fell to the ground. 

“Nice shot.” Mando remarked as he walked up to Fett.

“I was aiming for the other one.”

The sound of the transports crashing and exploding in the distance woke Rae up from her unconscious state. She got up to her feet with difficulty, her limbs and head feeling sore and bruised. She didn’t even have time to register what had happened before a red flash appeared behind the clouds, turned to a laser, and blew the Crest to smithereens. She gasped in shock and terror and quickly turned around, remembering why she was up there in the first place. She had to protect the kid. She was both relieved and worried to find him passed out on the stone, his snoring the only thing indicating that he was alive and breathing. She was about to rush to him when another sound resonated from above. She looked up to see four things, like missiles or small ships, heading right for them. She ran as fast as she could, trying to be careful when picking up the child, and as she turned around to leave, she heard them land around her. Four black droids with scarlet red eyes. They started walking towards her before she could even think. They were at least twice her size, so attacking them would probably be useless, but they were advancing too fast for her to run. Her mind was racing, her thoughts all blending together, and she was unable to move. One of the droids was facing her, extending his arm to yank Grogu away from hers. She screamed a “No” and pulled out one of her swords, but she was almost immediately grabbed by the back of the neck, lifted in the air and thrown against one of the stone pillars around them. She groaned as she watched the droids take off with the child, powerless. A few seconds later, she heard a woman’s voice close to her. She couldn’t make out what she was saying exactly, the sound of her blood thumping through her ears. Her voice was soon joined by another she didn’t know. This one was more blurry like it was speaking through a comm or a holo transmission.

“I have a lock.” Boba said through the comm, signaling he had a window to take out those droids.

“Stop him, I don’t want the child hurt.” Mando interjected, trying to hide the desperation in his voice.

“Abort pursuit, disengage. Do not harm the child.” Fennec instructed Boba, who followed the directive.

“Copy. I’ll do a loose follow, see where they’re headed.”

Rae could barely keep her eyes open when she made out the familiar silhouette of Mando rushing towards her. He crouched next to her, turning her body so she was in a more comfortable position. She groaned in pain at the movement, and the pain shot through her as she’d never felt before. Mando was talking to her, but again, she couldn’t hear what exactly he was saying.

“I’m gonna carry you, okay?” Mando asked, trying to hide his deep sadness, worry, and fear. 

“The kid...you gotta go after the kid…” Rae muttered, sounding out of it like she’d taken way too much spice.

Mando let out a shaky breath as he carried her bridal style in his arms, feeling tears well up in his eyes. The sounds of Rae grunting and hissing in pain in his arms was too much. Not only had he lost the child, but she’d also gotten badly hurt and his ship was blown apart. His heart couldn’t handle that much ache right now. He walked back to Fennec’s side with Rae in his arms and joined the assassin in looking up at Boba’s ship as he followed the droids.

“They’re back.” Fett said in disbelief as an Imperial Light Cruiser came into view.

“Who?” Fennec asked, not quite understanding what he was talking about.

“The Empire.”

“That can’t be.” It was now Fennec’s turn to be in disbelief. “The Outer Rim is under the jurisdiction of the New Republic.”

“This isn’t a spice dream. I see the Imperial Cruiser with my own eyes.” Boba retorted, still not quite believing what he was seeing. “Heading down.”

Mando had long stopped paying attention to their exchange. He knew about the Empire already. Instead, his attention was focused on Rae, in his arms. Her eyes were fluttering close and reopening every two seconds, she was writhing in pain, and he could see blood coming from a wound on her head. Without warning, he started to rush down the mountain. She couldn’t die. Not today. Not under his watch. He didn’t exactly know what he was rushing to since he didn’t have a ship or medical equipment anymore, but he couldn’t stand to do nothing while she was in pain in his arms. He reached the bottom of the mountain as Boba’s ship landed nearby. He could hear Fennec’s footsteps behind him and turned to face her.

“Do you have medical equipment? Bacta, anything?” He asked, his voice rushed, as Fennec nodded and led him to the ship.

“Boba has extensive medical knowledge, he’ll patch her up quickly.”

Boba was about to walk out of the ship when he saw the group heading towards him in a hurry. He quickly understood what it was about and immediately went to get the ship’s medkit. He heard Fennec indicate Mando to put Rae down on some durasteel surface and joined them. 

“What’s going on?”

“She needs medical attention, now.”

“I got that, what happened to her?”

“One of those things threw her against a stone pillar. She fell from quite high.” Fennec calmly explained as she felt Mando was out of words, out of breath, out of everything.

Boba nodded and first got to work on the bleeding wound at the back of her head. It wasn’t anything too serious, thankfully her skull wasn’t broken, but it was still bleeding quite a lot. He poured water over the wound to clean it before applying a good amount of bacta spray to it. He then checked for any other bleeding wounds and found one on her thigh and another on her side, both benign as well. He repeated the same process as for the head injury as Mando walked out of the ship, not able to handle everything that just happened. He headed straight for the Crest’s ashes and rummaged through what remained in hope of finding something. Anything. He wasn’t surprised to see that his spear was the only weapon that wasn’t destroyed and picked it up. The second thing he found was the little knob Grogu loved to play with. He rolled it between his fingers longingly, his heart straining at the thought of the kid on that Imperial Cruiser. He gently tucked the ball in his belt, hoping to see Grogu play with it again soon, and continued his search for something salvageable. The third and final thing he found was actually two things. Two rings. Made out of beskar. He picked them up and inspected them, not recognizing them. They were simple but well-made, just two plain metal rings with large silver-colored bands. He figured they must’ve been Rae’s and he tucked them in his belt as well, making sure they wouldn’t get lost. He hadn’t thought about it much, but he realized that he wasn’t the only one who’d lost everything when the Crest blew up. Rae had left her home with only a duffel bag containing the things she loved and cared for the most, as well as credits and clothes. And now, everything was gone. Except for her swords, which she still had with her, and the two rings Mando had just found - assuming they were hers. 

Once he was sure there wasn’t anything left to salvage, he left the crater that used to be his ship and joined Fennec, who had been watching him for a minute or two. She handed him his jetpack, which he’d forgotten somewhere on that mountain earlier, and he took it weakly, still shaken by the events of the day.

“Sorry about your ship.”

“It was a piece of crap anyway.” Mando tried to put things into perspective so as not to get too sad, but still. The loss of what had become his home over the years was tough. Tougher than he thought it would be. “Thank you for the jetpack.”

“No problem.” Silence settled between them as Boba joined them.

“How is she?” Mando asked quietly after a little while, afraid of the answer he’d get.

“She’s beaten up. Might have a few broken ribs, a broken wrist and a concussion. But she’ll make it.” Boba stated matter of factly, silence settling again until he turned towards Mando and raised his left arm. “I want you to take a look at something.” He pressed a button on his armor and an orange holo appeared, picturing Mando’a text. “My chain code has been encoded in this armor for 25 years. You see, this is me. Boba Fett. This is my father, Jango Fett.” He pointed at certain parts of the text as he spoke, and Mando read carefully.

“Your father was a foundling.”

“Yes. He even fought in the Mandalorian Civil Wars.”

“Then that armor belongs to you.”

“I appreciate its return.”

“Then our deal is complete.”

“Not quite.”

“How so?”

“We agreed in exchange for the return of my armor, we will ensure the safety of the child.”

“The child’s gone.” The words stung Mando as he said them. But it was true. Grogu was now in the Empire’s hands, and he had no idea how to get him back. 

“Until he is returned to you safely, we are in your debt.” 

Mando looked over at Fennec, who nodded in agreement, and soon, they were walking back to the ship, Slave I. Rae was passed out in the ship, bandages over her injuries and around her wrist. Mando picked her up gently and followed Fennec to the only bunk in the ship, laying Rae down on the bed. He sat on the floor next to her, watching her as the ship rotated and took off, leaving Tython behind. His eyes were sad under his helmet, still trying to process all that he had lost today. He blamed himself for it all, replaying the afternoon in his head and wondering what he could’ve done differently to avoid all the tragedies that occurred. He was also trying to figure out how to tell Rae that all of her belongings had been destroyed. He stayed like this for a moment, thinking and watching Rae’s chest heave with each breath she took until he heard Fennec’s voice behind him.

“Boba wants to know where we’re going next.” Her voice was surprisingly soft as if she could hear the turmoil in his head. “Do you have a plan?” Mando turned slowly to face her, an idea emerging among the guilt.

“Tell him to set a course for Nevarro. I need to talk to a friend.” Fennec nodded and left the room to tell Boba. 

Mando turned back to Rae, who was still sleeping, her face wincing slightly at each breath she took. He took off his helmet with a sigh, setting it next to him on the floor and removing his gloves next. He gently brushed Rae’s hair away from her face, lingering to caress her cheek softly. After a few moments, he fell asleep. His face was on the bed, set on his hands, covered by his cape which he had settled over his head before falling asleep, just in case someone walked in. As he drifted off, his head was filled with images of moments he spent with Grogu on the Crest, hoping he would get to live some of those moments again soon.


	13. Chapter 13: The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rae wakes up from her injury induced sleep. Mando reminds her what happened on Tython, and she opens up to him about her heritage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! New chapter incoming! Sorry it took so long, I was in a bit of a writer's block thing but I'm back now. Also I'm working on a new fic involving our favorite Sith Lord, Darth Maul, so that took some time too. But I'm back now, with a revelation heavy chapter. Lots of angst, lots of comfort, lots of relationship building.   
> Enjoy!

When Rae woke up, she felt a sharp pain shooting through her entire body. It was like she was crushed from the inside, her ribs, legs and head pulsing with each breath and movement. She looked around and tried to take in her surroundings, her eyes landing on the sleeping cloaked figure by her side. She went to remove the cloak from over the person’s face, but as her hand brushed against the fabric, another grabbed her wrist, stopping her from uncovering it. She groaned in pain and immediately felt the hand soften its grip around her.  
  


“Sorry. Didn’t mean to hurt you.” The person spoke and she recognized Mando’s voice. It was more natural, more...human than usual and she realized he probably didn’t have his helmet on. She closed her eyes instinctively.

“I didn’t realize your face wasn’t covered, sorry. My eyes are closed if you want to put your helmet back on.” Her voice was strained and hoarse.

Mando released his grip on her wrist and removed his cape from his face, sitting up and putting his helmet back on. He took a moment to watch Rae. She looked tired and sore, like she hadn’t slept for days. Her hair was ruffled and unruly, her brows slightly furrowed as she did her best to not let the pain take over. His heart broke a little as he saw the state she was in, the guilt and the blame returning to him.  _ It’s all my fault.  
_

“How are you feeling?” He asked. Rae opened her eyes when he spoke, the modulated sound of his voice telling her his helmet was on. 

“I don’t really know.” She said as she tried to sit up, quickly giving up as an intense ache pulsed through her chest and back. “Okay, now I know. I feel like shit.” Mando went to brush her shoulder softly.

“Do you remember what happened?”

“Yes.” She said with a small, sad voice. Flashes of the droids grabbing Grogu showed through her head, and a wave of guilt washed over her. “I failed him. I failed you. Mando, I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault, I-”

“Don’t.” Mando interrupted harshly, making Rae look up at him in surprise. “There’s nothing you could’ve done to save him. None of it is your fault. This whole thing is on me.”

“But maybe if I had-”

“Rae.” Mando stopped her, grabbing her hand in his, minding her injured wrist. “There’s nothing you could’ve done differently.” Rae nodded, tears welling up her sad eyes. There was a long pause until Mando spoke again. “The Crest is gone, too.”

“Oh shit, I almost forgot. I’m sorry.” 

“Your, uh...your things were all destroyed.” Mando added, looking at her intently. She was crying silently now, the new information being the final nail in the coffin. 

“My swords?” She asked, afraid of the answer he’d give her.

“You had them with you when you were hurt, they’re fine.” Mando reassured her and she nodded and exhaled in relief. Then she looked back at him with a twinge of panic in her eyes.

“Were you able to save anything? Like, from my stuff?” Mando dug in his belt to pull out the two beskar rings he’d found earlier, showing them to her in the palm of his hand.

“I found these in the ashes. They’re not mine, so I assume they’re yours?” Her hand shot to grab them and she held them to her chest, closing her eyes and muttering a few words to herself. He couldn't quite make out what she was saying, but he didn't really care. There was another question on his mind. “Why do you have so much beskar on you?” 

“It...it was my father’s.” She answered after thinking about it for a little while, her voice quiet and still hoarse. She didn’t like talking about her father, it was still too soon for her, and thinking about him made her sad. She didn’t need that right now. “Can I have some water?” She said to try and change the subject.

Mando got up from the floor and disappeared for a few minutes before returning with a canteen of water. He handed it to her, helping her sit up to drink and sitting back down when she was comfortable in her position.

“Why did your father have beskar?” He asked, not satisfied with her brief and vague answer. 

Beskar belonged with Mandalorians, so he needed to know if she had a rightful claim to it all. As much as he liked and cared for Rae, he’d been raised to believe that beskar wasn’t to be the property of anyone who wasn’t a Mandalorian, either by blood or by creed. So if it turned out she’d gotten her swords and those rings through someone who stole or appropriated their beskar, he’d probably have to fight her for it all. 

Rae drank her water and set the canteen on her lap, staring straight in front of her. After everything she’d been through with Mando, she figured she owed him a little bit of truth about her heritage and decided to open up even though the memories still hurt.

“The same reason you do.” She said with a voice so quiet Mando wasn’t sure he even heard her. He was looking at her intently, waiting to see if she was going to say more. And after a moment, she did. “His armor was made of it.” She looked down at the rings in her hands, playing with them with tears in her eyes as Mando’s gaze was fixed on her. 

“Was he...Mandalorian?” He asked gently, and Rae simply nodded. 

“I was born there, you know? In Sundari. Lived there until I was six. We left when the Duchess was killed.” She sounded out of it, like she was somewhere else, reliving memories of her childhood. “My father was one of the few citizens in Sundari who had armor. Although he was content with the peaceful direction taken by the Duchess, he was proud of his ancestors and their traditions. He studied their history and went to get his beskar himself. He forged it and everything, but the armor was pretty much useless, so it was just a reminder of who his people used to be, displayed in my parents’ bedroom. He wore it all the time after we left, to show off his heritage. He even joined the Mandalorian Resistance.” She smiled through the tears, images of her father wearing beskar playing in her mind.

“What happened to him?” Mando found that her opening up about her Mandalorian origins created a new type of bond between them. They weren’t just unlikely partners anymore, but something else. Something more.

“He was in Sundari fighting the Empire during the Purge.” Her words got caught in her throat. “The swords and the rings are made from his armor. They’re all I have left of him.” She clutched the rings close to her chest and muttered something he was able to understand this time. “Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum, Solan Obath.”

Mando took a deep breath and brought his forehead to hers, cupping her face to hold her close to him. Rae immediately recognized the gesture as a keldabe kiss and leaned into it, closing her eyes and letting tears fall on her cheeks. They stayed like that for a few moments, Mando softly caressing her face with his bare hands, Rae melting into his touch. Eventually, Mando pulled away, keeping his hands on each side of her face to let her know he was here for her. Rae opened her eyes back up and gave Mando a sad smile. He sat back down on the floor next to her, still processing everything he’d just learned. 

So much more about her made sense to him now. It explained why she had beskar, why she cared about her swords so much, why she knew Mando’a… Why she hated the Empire and Moff Gideon so much. In many ways, she was more of a Mandalorian than he ever will be. She didn’t need to wear armor, to swear into a creed, to follow rules. She knew her heritage, she protected it, she kept it close to her. That was all she needed to do to be a Mandalorian.

“Shit, I got so overwhelmed by everything I completely forgot to ask where we are and where we’re going.” Rae realized with a chuckle, trying to put the emotions talking about her past had brought up in the back of her mind. 

Mando cleared his throat and looked at her, proceeding to explain who Boba and Fennec were, how they’d helped fight off the stormtroopers, their deal to help rescue Grogu in exchange for Boba’s armor, why they were on their ship… He didn’t, however, explain where they were going and what they were going to do. He knew his plan was a little...particular, and that she wouldn’t like it. So he simply explained the parts she would like to hear and saved the unpleasant information for later.

The new information put a smile on Rae’s face. They were going to get Grogu back. Face the Empire, kick their ass, and get the kid back. She chuckled and asked Mando if he had a plan to find him. Although she couldn’t see his face, his body language betrayed his hesitation. His upper body tensed up the moment she asked him about the plan, and he kept avoiding her eyes. After a short while, he finally cleared his throat and spoke again.

“I do. But you’re not gonna like it.” She raised an eyebrow quizzically, wondering why she wouldn’t like the plan. “We’re gonna break someone out of jail. An old partner of mine.”

“Okay? And what about this am I supposed to not like?” Rae inquired, very confused about it all.

“He’s a former Imp.” He said rather quickly, wanting to get that part over with. He knew it wouldn’t be the hardest pill to swallow for Rae. 

“Excuse me?” Although her tone was calm and collected, her face told a completely different story. She was looking at Mando with wide eyes, her brows furrowed in anger. 

“I know, I know. But he’s the only person I know who can find out where Gideon’s cruiser is. He knows Imperial protocol, codes, and how to access this type of information.” He watched intently as her nose twitched at the mention of Gideon. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, and then looked over at him, her brows still furrowed but more relaxed.

“Where are we getting this Imp?”

“I need to find out where he’s being held before we go get him.” Mando cleared his throat loudly, afraid of how she’d react when he told her where they were headed. “Cara Dune can help us out with that.”

“Cara Dune?” Rae asked, not quite understanding where the Marshal fit in that plan until it dawned on her. “No. I’m not going back there.” This time her tone was both angry and scared. 

“I’m really sorry but we don’t have a choice.” Mando offered, his hand coming to rest on hers for a second before she swatted it away. 

“I cannot go back there, you understand? I just...I can’t, Mando.” She was shaking her head slowly, her head filling with thoughts of  _ him _ . Of the Devaronians who ‘won’ her. She was terrified. Mando sensed it and put his hand on hers again, hoping to reassure her.

“I won’t let anything happen to you. Not again.” Rae turned her head to look at him, tears welling up in her eyes again. He couldn’t stand to watch her cry another time and squeezed her hand to soothe her. “You won’t even have to leave the ship.”

“I don’t think I want to stay alone with the assassins either.” Rae answered, not quite trusting their allies yet. 

“Then I’ll make sure you’re safe. And if we see that piece of shit, I’ll blast him on sight. That okay with you?” Rae couldn’t help but smile a bit at his words. He really did care about her and that warmed her heart. She nodded and squeezed his hand back. 

Mando gently let go of her hand and stood up, telling Rae he was going to get her something to eat and see if there were any painkillers for her to take. She thanked him with a soft smile that made his heart skip a beat, and a second later, he was out the door. Her smile slowly faded away now that she was alone. Not only did she still feel guilty about losing Grogu, but now she had other things to worry about. First, she would have to work with an Imp, out of all people. Second, Mando now knew that she was a Mandalorian, although after the Purge she decided to keep her heritage a secret, for her own safety. Third, soon she’d be back on Nevarro. She’d be within his grasp again. Now, there was still a plus side to going back there, since all her clothes were reduced to ashes and she thankfully left some in the inn room she shared with  _ him _ . Still, the thought of being in his vicinity again made her shiver with fright. She knew that if he found her, not only would he probably give her hell, he would also be quick to give her away to the Devaronians. 

Rae gulped her worry down, closing her eyes and picturing herself walking down the streets of Nevarro, Mando holding her hand and reassuring her that she’d be alright. As her imaginary self turned her head to look at her partner, Rae couldn’t help but let a grin adorn her face. She knew that as long as he was around, there was nothing they wouldn’t be able to face. Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum : Mandalorian daily remembrance of those who passed away, meaning "I'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal."


	14. Chapter 14: The Twi'lek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mando, Boba, Fennec and Rae finally land in Nevarro. Mando seeks out a friend for help while Rae confronts her trauma head-on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry for the time it took to get this chapter out, I was just very invested in my other fic (it's about Darth Maul if you're interested) and kinda neglected this one. Also this chapter proved challenging to write for sooooo many reasons, it's kind of a turning point for my OC so I wanted to make sure it was done right.  
> With that said, it's OUT!  
> Content Warnings: descriptions of violence, blood, domestic abuse/violence, mentions of drugs and alcohol abuse. Did my best to make sure it wasn't too much, like it's not too dark or anything, but if you're sensitive to these things (esp domestic violence), please read with caution.  
> Hope you enjoy!

Mando and Cara hear the commotion and follow the people's instructions to the alley, Rae’s nose is bleeding but they get here in time to see her kick him in the balls. She tells Cara about his illegal gambling activities and his spice smuggling and she gets him locked up. Then they head back to Slave I and head to the planet where Mayfeld is imprisoned

It only took Boba, Fennec, Din, and Rae 4 days to reach Nevarro. Slave I was a much faster ship than the Razor Crest, that was for sure. In the four days during which they shared a ship, they had gotten to know each other a little better. Boba told stories of his bounty hunting past, carefully omitting the part about his time working for Darth Vader, Rae recounted battles she saw when she was a Rebel, Fennec bragged about the very dangerous and high-profile people she killed… The other Mandalorian, however, never told any stories. He just listened, sometimes asking questions or making comments, but most of the time, he stayed silent. Fennec and Boba had asked about his past, but nothing ever came of it. Rae knew that he wouldn’t say anything. He’d never talked to  _ her _ about it, so she figured he wouldn’t tell two  _ new _ allies. Little by little, they began to trust their unlikely helpers though, not seeing any sign of upcoming betrayal or anything other than good intentions in them. They were people of honor and they had made a deal, so they were going to see it through and help get the kid. That was it. 

Inbetween the shared moments, Rae was busy tending to her wounds. Although the bacta that Boba applied to her bigger injuries had been effective, there were a few little cuts that he hadn’t seen and that needed attention. She had settled into a little routine, which also helped to ground her as they got closer to Nevarro. First, she cleaned her cuts, then changed her plasters, applied an ointment on her many bruises, and compressed them with elastic bandages. Once she had taken care of her most visible injuries, she finally tended to the ones that remained unseen and applied ice packs to her broken ribs and her broken wrist to make them heal properly and relieve the pain. 

Although she was rarely alone with him, she felt like her relationship with Mando had reached a new step. None of them were willing to make the first step to admit they had feelings for the other, but it’s almost like they didn’t need to. They just...knew. And ever since Rae had opened up about her Mandalorian origins, they understood each other in new ways. Sometimes, it was like they didn’t need to talk to know what the other was thinking. Rae had learned to read through Mando’s body language, and he had learned to read her face. All in all, everything was fine on Slave I. At least, it would be if Grogu was with them.  
  


“Landing is done, you can open the hatch.” Boba’s electronic voice resonated in the seating area through the speakers.  


Fennec got up and opened the hatch, letting Mando and Rae leave the ship. While Mando didn’t waste time heading to the city, Rae’s pace was much slower. She was dragging her feet against the sandy ground of the planet, her eyes fixed on the city where her life took a dark turn. Mando noticed this when he turned to talk to her and didn’t see her by his side. He took a look behind him and saw her timidly walking, looking like she was somewhere else. He softly walked beside her and took her hand, caressing it with his thumb to reassure her that he was here, that she’d be fine. She gave him a shy smile and together, they walked into the main street of the city. Rae’s hold on Mando’s gloved hand got tighter as they got closer to the inn where she spent the last of her days with her ex. Thankfully, they entered the Marshal’s office before they passed the inn. As soon as they were inside, Mando released her hand and walked to Cara’s desk.  
  


“Cara Dune, Marshal of the New Republic.” He said, reading the plate on her desk. “I heard rumors you might’ve gone legit.” 

“I wouldn’t go that far.” The woman retorted with a chuckle, standing up to shake the Mandalorian’s hand. “Didn’t expect to see you back here so soon…” She turned her head towards Rae, the woman catching her eye from behind Mando. “Rae Obath? Is that you?” She asked in disbelief.

“Uh...yes?” Rae answered, surprised that the Marshal knew her name.

“Maker, you’re back! You’ve been reported missing at least three weeks ago, where have you been?”

“She was with me.” Mando interjected, wanting to get on with the reason they were back here in the first place. Cara looked at her friend curiously, wondering how that had happened. She was about to ask for more details when Mando cut her off. “We need your help. It’s urgent.” Cara sat back down, ready to hear out her friend and find out what she can do for him.

“Name it.”

“I need you to locate someone in the prison registry. Ex-Imperial sharpshooter, last name Mayfeld.” Mando explained, taking a seat on the chair in front of Cara’s desk. “Apprehended near the Delestri system on a derelict prison ship.” Cara was typing away in her computer, accessing the registry, and looking for the man Mando was describing.

“Migs Mayfeld. Serving 50 years in the Karthon Chop Fields for springing a prisoner himself. Accessory to the death of a New Republic officer. Huh. Sounds like a real piece of work.” She relaxed back in her seat, looking back at Mando and Rae. “What do you want with him?”  
  


Mando explained the situation to Cara, telling her he needed her help to get Mayfeld out of prison. While he was convincing Cara, Rae got antsy. She wanted to go out into the city, to talk to some friends she had made there and tell them she was alright. She was also curious about who reported her missing and wanted to get some of the spare clothes she’d left in the inn room she used to share with her ex. 

She discreetly slipped out of the office and into the street, and hurriedly walked towards the inn, which was a few streets away. Once inside, she asked the receptionist if anyone was inside room 105, the one she used to live in, and once she knew that no one was inside, she asked for a key and walked up the stairs. When she found herself in front of the door, she took a deep breath, reliving some of the trauma she accumulated behind that door. She opened it with shaky hands and took a few steps inside the room, looking around. The room was dark, only lit up by a ray of sunlight coming from between the curtains, but she could tell it was messy. The bedsheets were lying on the floor more than on the bed, there were dirty clothes scattered around, and a few suspicious stains on the carpet - from alcohol, Rae assumed. She gulped heavily and snapped herself out of her state, hurrying to the closet and opening it. It was mostly empty, a few of her ex’s clothes on the hangers, and a few of her own rolled up in a corner. She sighed and grabbed one of the many duffle bags that were on the shelf in the closet, and stuffed the remainder of her clothing in the bag. She then closed the closet and slung the bag over her shoulder, searching around the room for discarded credits, knowing that her ex had a terrible habit of emptying his pockets on the floor and never actually picking the credits that spilled from his clothes. She managed to find a few, amounting to a small total of 300 credits that she threw into her bag before heading out and leaving. She left the key to the receptionist and walked out of the building, finally ready to leave this part of her life behind. 

She only took a few steps before she felt a hand grabbing her already bruised arm and pulling her away, another hand wrapping around her mouth to stop her from making noise. The person dragged her to an alley behind the inn, shoving her against a wall between two dumpsters and removing his hand from her mouth, pinning her arms against the wall. She immediately recognized the blue male Twi’lek and his tattooed lekku, and the angered face she’d seen one too many times. His light green eyes were burning holes in hers, and it made her feel small.   
  


“Do you know how much trouble I’m in because of you, bitch?” He hissed at her through his sharp, pointed teeth, some of his spit landing on her face as she recoiled in disgust. “I’ve had to do some really fucking dirty work to make up for your little disappearing act, and those Devaronians don’t exactly play nice.” 

“Boo-fucking-hoo.” She said with a small voice, his presence triggering bad memories of the last time they were in such a situation. 

“Don’t you make fun of me!” He snapped, punching the wall next to her face. “I’m in this situation because of you, so you’re going to get me out of it. I don’t know where you were planning to go with that bag but it’s not happening.” He violently snatched the bag away from her shoulder, throwing it further on the ground and bringing his face closer to hers. “They’ll be very happy to see their property is back, and they’ll make sure to punish you for fleeing.”

“Fuck you, Verwe.” She said, her rage bubbling up inside of her as she headbutted him, making him cry out in pain and surprise, and stumble backward.   
  


Although she felt a sharp pain coursing through the front of her head due to the strength of the headbutt, she did her best to get to her bag and leave the alley quickly, regaining the main street, holding her head with one of her hands. She stopped for a second, crouching to regain her breath under the gazes of curious citizens, looking to the alley to see Verwe with a hand over his nose as he turned to look at her with a fiery gaze. He slowly straightened himself, revealing his bleeding nose, gave her a terrifying smile, his teeth stained with blood that had spilled into his mouth, and started running towards her. The people around them were watching curiously, some frightened and some amused, as Rae struggled to stand back up and started running too. But with the initial rush of adrenaline having left her body, she felt her head spinning and her vision getting blurry as the pain in her head became more vivid. It made it easier for Verwe to catch up with her, and he pushed her to the ground the second she was within reach. Rae fell with a weak grunt, feeling the Twi’lek’s hands grabbing her to make her stand up, then wrapping around one of her arms. She tried to fight, thrash and struggle, but she was too weak both from the headbutt she gave him and her previous injuries. She was about to start crying, believing he had her for good now, until the familiar shine of Beskar came into view.  
  


“Let go of her.” Mando warned the Twi’lek, his blaster aimed at him. No one could tell but, behind his helmet, he was fuming. He assumed the man was the ex Rae told him about. If they hadn’t been in such a crowded place, the man would already be riddled with blaster holes. 

“Calm down, cowboy, that’s not how we do things around here.” Cara told him, prompting him to lower his blaster and let her handle it. A small crowd had gathered around the scene, including the shop owner who warned the Marshal in the first place.

“Everything’s fine here, Marshal Dune. Just a bit of a...couple’s quarrel, if you will.” The Twi’lek said with a blood-stained smile.

“Doesn't really look like it.” Cara Dune said, her hands on her waist in a confrontational position. 

“Please don't let him take me!” Rae managed to yell with what little strength she had. 

“Stop talking, bitch.” The Twi’lek snarled at Rae, trying to be discreet. Mando caught it though, and it made him lose his mind. He took a few determined steps towards the Twi’lek, his blaster aimed back at him, and was stopped once again by Cara. 

“I said let me handle this.” She whispered to him through gritted teeth.

“He's the reason why she left with me. He was abusing her and he planned on giving her to some Devaronians. He has to be stopped.” Mando explained, his voice rushed and angry, wanting to get this over with quickly. 

“Look, there's really nothing to worry about. We were just about to go home and talk it out. I don't know who called you but there's really no need for you to be here.” The Twi’lek continued, starting to take a few steps backward to leave, while Rae was looking at Mando with pleading eyes. 

“You’re not going anywhere with her, Verwe.” Cara warned.   
  


Mando was feeling his blood boiling, angered by the smug look on the Twi’lek’s face. Seeing that he kept walking backward, dragging a distraught Rae along with him, was the final straw. He aimed his blaster at his right foot and shot without warning. Verwe cried out in pain and let go of Rae’s arm, who took a few steps away from him, collapsing on the ground off to his side, holding her pulsating head in her hands. Cara didn’t waste time walking over to the Twi’lek and taking his arms to restrain him, while Mando rushed over to Rae’s side, crouching to her level and placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.  
  


“Did he hurt you?” He asked with worry, his anger washing away at the sight of his partner looking so upset.

“Bruised my arm a little bit, but I’m okay.” She said, rubbing her temples to soothe the pain.

“What about your head?”

“I headbutted him to get out of his grasp.” She said with a weak smile, her head still spinning. She reached out and placed one of her hands on Mando’s arm in an attempt to steady the world around her.

“Can you walk?” Mando asked while taking her hand in his to help her stand. She took it and held it tight as she struggled to get back to her feet with him.

“I think so, but I’ll probably need help.”    
  


With that said, Mando wrapped an arm around her and helped her walk to the Marshal’s office, where a medical droid was applying bacta to Verwe’s wound. The Twi’lek was in handcuffs, his arms behind his back, in one of the cells in the building. Cara was standing in the center of the room, looking at him. When she heard Mando and Rae walk in, she turned to them and motioned towards her desk, prompting Rae to sit and explain the situation. Rae was still a little groggy from the pain in her head but she started detailing her relationship with Verwe, the abuse he put her through. She also denounced his illegal activities in Nevarro, namely running an underground gambling club and selling spice to the city’s least reputable population. Cara told her that she knew about the gambling club but had not found the person running it, and was utterly surprised that someone was selling spice in Nevarro. Soon after she had taken her deposition, Rae got up and went to Verwe’s cell to look at him. The lower half of his face was covered with dried blood, his foot was wrapped in bandages, and he looked even shittier than usual. The sight of her persecutor in such a ruined state brought a satisfied smile to her lips. She slowly approached her head to the bars of the cell.

“Have fun in jail, love.” She said softly, her smile turning into a mischievous smirk, every ounce of compassion leaving her body when it came to him. 

He suddenly lurched to the bars, making her take a step back so he wouldn’t be able to touch her as he waved his arms between the bars to reach her. He was growling in rage, his blood-stained teeth on display for everyone to see. But, weirdly enough, Rae wasn’t phased by his behavior. For once, she wouldn’t be on the receiving end of his rage. No one would be. He would be locked up with it, with no one to lash out on. Her smile grew wider as Mando and Cara were watching from a few steps behind her, ready to intervene if he went too far. Rae looked him dead in the eyes as she made a mock blaster with her fingers, aimed the faux barrel at his forehead, and pretended to pull the trigger with a small “pew” sound. She let out a scoff and turned around, joining her friends and exiting the building, leaving this part of her life behind for good.


End file.
